Managing pollutant inputs from pastoral dairy farming to maintain water quality of a lake in a high-rainfall catchment
Robert J. Wilcock A J , Ross M. Monaghan B , Richard W. McDowell B , Piet Verburg A , Jonny Horrox C , Catherine Chagué-Goff D E , Maurice J. Duncan F , Alison Rutherford B , Gil Zemansky G , Mike R. Scarsbrook H , Aslan E. Wright-Stow A , Clive Howard-Williams F and Sue Cotton I
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research, PO Box 1115, Hamilton, New Zealand.
B AgResearch, Invermay Agricultural Centre, PB 50034, Mosgiel, New Zealand.
C West Coast Regional Council, PO Box 66, Greymouth, New Zealand.
D School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
E Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Locked Bag 2001, Kirrawee DC, NSW 2232, Australia.
F National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research, PO Box 8602, Christchurch, New Zealand.
G Geological and Nuclear Sciences, Private Bag 2000, Taupo, New Zealand.
H DairyNZ Ltd, Private Bag 3221, Hamilton, New Zealand.
I 81 Lake Kaniere Road, Hokitika 7811, New Zealand.
J Corresponding author. Email: bob.wilcock@niwa.co.nz
Marine and Freshwater Research 64(5) 447-459 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF12296
Submitted: 16 October 2012 Accepted: 10 January 2013 Published: 3 May 2013
Journal Compilation © CSIRO Publishing 2013 Open Access CC BY-NC-ND
Abstract
A study (2004–11) of a dairy catchment stream entering an oligotrophic lake in an area of very high rainfall (~5 m year–1) yielded median concentrations of total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), suspended sediment (SS) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) of 0.584, 0.074 and 3.7 g m–3, and 405/100 mL (most probable number method), respectively. Trend analysis indicated significant (P < 0.01) decreases for TN (–0.08 ± 0.02 g m–3 year–1), TP (–0.01 ± 0.005 g m–3 year–1) and SS (–0.45 ± 0.14 g m–3 year–1) and were partly attributable to improved exclusion of cattle from the stream. Water balance calculations indicated that approximately one-half the rainfall left as deep drainage that by-passed catchment outlet flow recorders. Estimates of catchment yields for TN were improved by taking into account groundwater hydrology and concentrations from well samples. Storm-flow monitoring inflows exceeding the 97.5th percentile contributed ~40% of total loads leaving the catchment so that specific yields for SS, TN and TP augmented by groundwater inputs and storm flows were ~960, 45 and 7 kg ha–1 year–1, respectively. These compared well with modelled results for losses from dairy farms in the catchment of 40–60 kg N ha–1 year–1 and 5–6 kg P ha–1 year–1 and indicated that attenuation losses were relatively small.
Additional keywords: catchment yield, flood frequency, groundwater, nutrients, sediment.
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