Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
9468162 | Water Research | 2005 | 14 Pages |
Abstract
Nitrate is often seen as an agricultural pollutant of groundwater and so is expected to be at higher concentrations in the groundwaters surrounding a city than in those beneath it. However the difference between rural and urban nitrate concentrations is often small, due to the non-agricultural sources of nitrogen that are concentrated in cities. This paper illustrates the source and significance of non-agricultural nitrogen for groundwater and presents a case study of nitrate loading in the city of Nottingham. Major sources of nitrogen in urban aquifers are related to wastewater disposal (on-site systems and leaky sewers), solid waste disposal (landfills and waste tips). The major sources of nitrogen in the Nottingham area are mains leakage and contaminated land with approximately 38% each of a total load of 21 kg N haâ1 yearâ1.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Earth and Planetary Sciences
Earth-Surface Processes
Authors
Fernando T. Wakida, David N. Lerner,