Groundwater nitrate in Austria: a case study in Tullnerfeld

Abstract

Contamination of groundwater from point and non-point sources is one of the major pollution problems. The agricultural community has become keenly aware of the impact of irrigation and fertilization on groundwater quality. In the plains of Austria groundwater is used as a major source of drinking water. In the last few decades nitrate concentrations in groundwater have increased dramatically. Among the various land uses, agriculture is reported to be the main source of groundwater contamination by nitrate. The study presented here was carried out at Tullnerfeld where nitrate levels in groundwater have been reported to be as high as 100 mg l−1. To assess the contribution of various land uses to nitrate in groundwater, the Institute for Hydraulics and Rural Water-Management has installed facilities for measuring nitrate leaching and percolation under different cropping and management systems. The nitrate from fertilizers was measured using six lysimeters once a week. At the same time the nitrate levels in groundwater were simulated using the physically based model Environmental Policy Integrated Climate (EPIC). This paper gives a brief account of groundwater nitrate in Austria. The case study presented in this paper deals with the qualitative and quantitative aspects of groundwater nitrate by fertilizers and cover crops.