Preliminary Assessment of Phosphate Contribution to Mills Lake, Minnesota, from Agricultural Tile Systems

Location

CSU

Student's College

Science, Engineering and Technology

Mentor's Name

Bryce Hoppie

Mentor's Department

Geography

Mentor's College

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Description

Phosphate levels in area lakes are a major problem. Excessive phosphate leads to eutrification and significant loss of water quality. This project addresses the issue of phosphate transport from field tile systems into area lakes. Are these systems significant sources of phosphate into area lakes? Over fifty samples were collected from the test site between the tile outlet and Mills Lake, Minnesota. Additional samples were taken from an area near the lake but away from the tile outlet. These samples were analyzed for total phosphate, percent of organic matter, and grain size. Preliminary results showed excess total phosphate in most surface samples between the tile outlet and the lake. Most samples exhibited coarse soil textures and possessed generally low organic matter content. Thus the phosphate may exist in mobile forms and may be moving through the field tile system into the lake.

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Preliminary Assessment of Phosphate Contribution to Mills Lake, Minnesota, from Agricultural Tile Systems

CSU

Phosphate levels in area lakes are a major problem. Excessive phosphate leads to eutrification and significant loss of water quality. This project addresses the issue of phosphate transport from field tile systems into area lakes. Are these systems significant sources of phosphate into area lakes? Over fifty samples were collected from the test site between the tile outlet and Mills Lake, Minnesota. Additional samples were taken from an area near the lake but away from the tile outlet. These samples were analyzed for total phosphate, percent of organic matter, and grain size. Preliminary results showed excess total phosphate in most surface samples between the tile outlet and the lake. Most samples exhibited coarse soil textures and possessed generally low organic matter content. Thus the phosphate may exist in mobile forms and may be moving through the field tile system into the lake.