AGRICULTURAL MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND NITRATE LEVELS IN THE ABBOTSFORD AQUIFER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, 1996 TO 2004

摘要

This study provides an analysis of the impact of agricultural management policies on the Abbotsford aquifer in southern British Columbia, using ordinary least squares and maximum likelihood regression models. The study finds that: (1) groundwater nitrogen concentration levels have a significant seasonal component and a strong upward trend; (2) changes in agricultural practices have substantially reduced groundwater nitrogen concentration levels; and (3) precipitation levels have a significant seasonal component but no trend and do not explain changes in groundwater nitrogen concentration levels.