Rb. Daniels et Jw. Gilliam, SEDIMENT AND CHEMICAL LOAD REDUCTION BY GRASS AND RIPARIAN FILTERS, Soil Science Society of America journal, 60(1), 1996, pp. 246-251
Vegetated filter strips help reduce non-point source pollution from ag
ricultural areas. Even though they are an accepted and highly promoted
practice, little quantitative data exist on their effectiveness under
field conditions. The objective of this research was to determine the
amount of nutrients and sediment removed by natural and planted filte
rs. This was achieved by collecting and analyzing runoff at field edge
s and at various locations in vegetated buffers. Total weight of sedim
ent and nutrients in runoff from North Carolina agricultural fields sh
owed that the grass and riparian filter strips studied reduced runoff
load by 50 to 80%. Total sediment decrease through the filters was abo
ut 80% for both grass and riparian vegetation. The reduction in the ch
emical load depended on the nutrient and its form. Filters reduced tot
al P load by 50%, but 80% of the soluble PO4-P arriving at the field e
dge frequently passed through the Biters. The filters retained 20 to 5
0% of the NH4 and approximately 50% of the total Kjeldahl N and NO3. H
igh-volume Bows commonly overwhelmed both grass and riparian filters n
ext to cultivated fields. Forested ephemeral channels had little veget
ation and were effective sediment sinks during the dry season but were
ineffective during large storm events because there was little resist
ance to Bow. When possible, drainageways should be designed to hold se
diment and to disperse the discharge into a riparian area.