Determination of Agricultural Chemical Impacts on Shallow Groundwater Quality inthe Rio Grande Valley: Las Nutrias Groundwater Project

摘要

The flow rate and chemical signature in the tile changed rapidly in response toan irrigation event. These responses suggest rapid transmission of water and surface-applied chemicals via preferential flow. The preferential flow hypothesis was supported by measurements of soil hydrologic properties and by visual observations of soil cracks and animal burrows. This study provides the first detailed information on agricultural leaching below a commercially managed New Mexico farm. The results suggest that current management practices do not present a threat to shallow groundwater quality in the Rio Grande basin.