Ground Water Loading of Pesticides in the Atlantic Coastal Plain

Abstract

AbstractPollution of ground water by agricultural practices has gained considerable attention in recent years. Mathematical models have been developed to evaluate the effects of agricultural best management practices on pesticide transport to ground water. The GLEAMS model was evaluated to determine its suitability for use in predicting managerial effects on pesticide leaching from agricultural systems in the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Model predictions of pesticide concentrations in percolation from the root zone were compared to observed concentrations in ground water beneath field‐sized areas. The model underpredicted runoff from these areas. Model predictions were used to produce rankings of the magnitudes of pesticide losses that paralleled rankings of observed ground water data in some cases but not others. Differences in observed and predicted rankings were assessed to be the result of sampling schedule inefficiences. The magnitudes of predicted pesticide concentrations in leachate from the root zone were three to seven times higher than observed concentrations in shallow ground water. Results support the use of GLEAMS for comparison of managerial effects on pesticide movement to ground water if appropriate limitations are recognized.