Red River of the North Basin
National Water-Quality Assessment Program
Cowdery, T.K., 1994, Nutrient Concentrations Near the Water Table of the Sheyenne Delta Aquifer Beneath Cropland Areas--Preliminary Results from a Red River of the North Basin Land-Use Study: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 94-397, Proceedings Abstracts, American Water Resources Association 30th Annual Conference, Symposium on National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program -- November 7-9, 1994, Chicago, Illinois, p. 7.
Abstract
The U.S. Geological Survey is studying the effects of agriculture on water
quality in the Sheyenne Delta aquifer in southeastern North Dakota. This study
is part of a larger effort to evaluate ground-water quality in shallow
aquifers within the Red River of the North Basin as part of the National
Water-Quality Assessment program. The aquifer is a near-shore deltaic-facies
deposit composed of interbedded fine to medium sands and silts up to 120 feet
thick. The main agricultural commodities produced in the area are corn and
sunflowers. Lesser amounts of soybeans, small grains, potatoes, and beef are
also produced. These crops are commonly irrigated with water from the
surficial aquifer. The high rains during 1993 raised the water table to within
one to two feet of the land surface in many areas. Historical ground-water
nitrate concentrations from the aquifer range from less than 0.1 to 11 mg/L
nitrate as nitrogen (NO3-N). After the 1993 recharge, these concentrations
ranged from less than 0.01 to 4.3 mg/L NO3-N. These data suggest that this
intense recharge substantially diluted the concentration of nutrients from
agricultural activity in the area.
Citation
Index-Published Meeting Abstracts | Study Unit Publications | Red River of
the North Basin, NAWQA | U.S. Geological Survey in
Minnesota | NAWQA Program
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