Ground water recharge through optimized intensive dairy farms

To meet the increasing demand for water for human consumption, surface wate r is increasingly used, generally at high purification costs, as ground wat er availability is limited. Sandy areas can "produce" high-quality ground w ater based on infiltration and leaching of the precipitation surplus. In th e Netherlands, as in many other countries, these areas are used by dairy fa rms. Because of intensification in the recent past, ground water recharge h as declined as a result of increased water consumption by crops and its qua lity is deteriorating as a result of nutrient leaching. Possibilities were examined to improve management at farm level in such a way that the desired upper ground water quality could be realized and extractable ground water quantity for human consumption increased without reducing milk production i ntensity (11 900 kg ha(-1)). A prototype farm system was established on an experimental farm. Nitrate concentration in the upper ground water decrease d from 200 to 50 mg L-1 (associated with reduced N surpluses) and ground wa ter recharge could be increased by 550 m(3) per ha (through reduced crop wa ter consumption). Additional experimental farming system costs were below t he costs for purifying 550 m3 surface water. Therefore, it is concluded tha t integrating ground water management in dairy farming is technically and e conomically feasible and therefore attractive for farmers, water companies, and consumers.