Problems With Farm Runoff May Persist For Centuries In Waterways, Soils

[hatrack]

MADISON, Wis. - Farmers’ routine application of chemical fertilizers and manure to the land poses a far greater environmental problem to freshwater lakes than previously thought, potentially polluting the water for hundreds of years, according to new research.

Phosphorus in those substances has built up in the soil and will slowly end up in many lakes, where the nutrients lead to plant and algae growth. The environmental problem, known as eutrophication, can turn pristine lakes into smelly, weed-filled swamps with lots of dead fish.

In a paper published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a University of Wisconsin-Madison expert blames the buildup largely on industrial agriculture’s use of fertilizer and manure since the 1940s.

The concentration could cause the eutrophication of lakes for centuries as the treated soil slowly washes into lakes and streams, writes Stephen Carpenter, a professor of zoology and a leading expert on freshwater lakes. The problem leads to fish kills and the growth of toxic algae that can make lakes unsuitable for swimming. “A very small percentage of the phosphorus moves into the lake each year and that small amount is sufficient to cause a great deal of water pollution,” Carpenter said."

EDIT

Oops.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8214501/

[Nihil]

1. So the solution is ...

... to trap the runoff from the fields in irrigation ditches and use
this to irrigate the fields - closed system - as the "surplus" nutrients
can replenish those consumed by the crops instead of being poured down
the drain to kill off the fish.

Not only does this reduce/prevent fish deaths from excessive phosphates,
it reduces the demand for additional fertiliser (saving money) and saves
having to use even more freshwater for irrigation (saving money and
resources).

All for the price of a pump and some pipes! :-)

[Kolesar]

2. Another reason to quit eating meat and drinking milk

Apparently, the dairy farms have an excess of manure to dispose of and just shuttle it to the crop fields.