The long-term and the short-term at a cropping municipal sewage sludge disposal facility
- North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC (United States). Dept. of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
The City of Raleigh, NC, chose land application of municipal sewage sludge as a means of reducing pollution to the Neuse River. The Neuse River Waste Water Treatment Plant (NRWWTP) is located in the Piedmont Province of North Carolina. The soils at the facility are derived largely from the Rolesville Granite. Sewage sludge is applied to over 640 acres of cropland, owned in fee or leased. In making the policy decision for use of the sludge land application method 20 or so years ago, the City had to evaluate the potential for heavy metal accumulation in the soils and plants as well as the potential for ground-water contamination from the nitrate-nitrogen. The city also had to make a policy decision about limiting the discharge of heavy metals to the sewer system. Study of data from monitoring wells demonstrate that well position is a key in determining whether or not nitrate-nitrogen contamination is detected. Data from a three-year study suggest that nitrate-nitrogen moves fairly rapidly t the water table, although significant buildup in nitrogen-nitrogen may take a number of years. Evidence exists suggesting that the time between application of sewage sludge and an increase of nitrate-nitrogen at the water table may be on the order of nine months to a year. It is apparent that in the case of municipal sewage sludge application one can anticipate some nitrate-nitrogen buildup and that the public policy on drinking water standards must recognize this fact.
- OSTI ID:
- 6791791
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9404221-; CODEN: GAAPBC
- Journal Information:
- Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States), Vol. 26:4; Conference: 43. annual meeting of the Southeastern Section of the Geological Society of America, Blacksburg, VA (United States), 7-8 Apr 1994; ISSN 0016-7592
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
58 GEOSCIENCES
GROUND WATER
WATER CHEMISTRY
WATER POLLUTION
NITRATES
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
NORTH CAROLINA
SEWAGE SLUDGE
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
GROUND DISPOSAL
MUNICIPAL WASTES
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
BIOLOGICAL WASTES
CHEMISTRY
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
MANAGEMENT
MASS TRANSFER
MATERIALS
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NORTH AMERICA
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION
SEWAGE
SLUDGES
USA
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
WATER
540230* - Environment
Terrestrial- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)
540250 - Environment
Terrestrial- Site Resource & Use Studies- (1990-)
580000 - Geosciences