Runoff characteristics of nutrients in the forest streams in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan

Abstract

Nutrients and other pollutant runoffs from streams in artificial forest areas in central Hyogo Prefecture in southwest Japan have been investigated to estimate pollutant loads since 1995. The orthophosphate and ammonium nitrogen contents were usually low and constant during the investigation. When the flowrates of the streams were normal, the concentrations of suspended solids, COD(Mn), TOC and total phosphorus were very low, and did not change much. However, when stream flows were increased by rainstorms or other precipitation, higher concentrations of these parameters occurred. Otherwise, the average concentrations of nitrate nitrogen and total nitrogen were 0.26 mg/l and 0.31 mg/l, respectively, and they were often increased by precipitation events. They changed at the same time because the ratio of nitrate nitrogen per total nitrogen was high, about 80%. The fluctuation of concentrations of total phosphorus was similar to SS concentrations, which suggested that phosphorus was discharged in the types of suspended solids from forest areas. The specific loads of the nutrients and some other pollutants did not differ among the three watersheds investigated. However, the difference among them between fine days and rainy days was fairly large. It was presumed that pollutant runoff from forest areas is strongly dependent on precipitation events.