Abstract
In the Cedar River watershed of northeastern Iowa, USA, water quality in 17 out of 20 private wells indicates that groundwater is contaminated with nitrate from agricultural leachates. In nine of the wells, nitrate concentration exceeds the US Environmental Protection Agency recommended maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 45 mg/L (as NO3 −) for drinking purposes. Solute-transport investigations determined that the surficial loam sediments, the Quaternary sand and gravel deposits, and the glacial till deposits form layered heterogeneity in the subsurface. The resulting conductivity contrast causes a capillary barrier, thereby altering the mechanisms of vertical tracer movement.
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