Connecting field management to soil nitrate leaching in the southern Willamette Valley
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This presentation will cover recent research on nutrient inputs, agricultural management and nitrate concentrations in soil solution and groundwater in the southern Willamette Basin’s Groundwater Management Area (GWMA). Non-point sources are the predominant inputs of nitrogen in the area, largely from fertilizer application for a diverse variety of crops grown in the Willamette Valley. Management of non-point source pollution in groundwater is an important and widespread challenge in many areas of the US, and this work could help inform other community-based projects tackling this challenging issue. The primary topics for this presentation include the results from community-driven research on nitrogen management and groundwater nitrate trends in the GWMA. EPA will also present the results of a RARE project completed at the end of FY21 that measured nitrate leaching from production farmland in order to understand how on the ground practices influence nitrate leaching. This presentation will allow us to communicate with EPA, state agencies, crop advisers, and others about the findings, explanations, implications and application for our study results.