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ITRC Paper No. P 07-003. Daniel J. Howes, Franklin Gaudi, and Donald Ton

Effluent Nitrogen Management for Agricultural Re-Use Applications

Utilizing treated domestic wastewater to grow forage crops is becoming commonplace in regions that cannot release effluent into oceans or rivers. A key concern when using disinfected secondary treated water is nitrogen percolating below the root zone and reaching the groundwater. A 2,000-acre wastewater reuse site with 27 center pivots in Palmdale, California is being utilized by the County Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County to reuse approximately 8 to 9 million gallons per day of treated wastewater from the city of Palmdale. Through the development of a daily soil water/nitrogen balance model, combined with an overall cropping and monitoring strategy, the nitrogen deep percolation has been minimized throughout the reuse area to levels that are below Regional Board requirements.

Howes, D.J., F. Gaudi, and D. Ton. 2007. Effluent Nitrogen Management for Agricultural Re-Use Applications. Presented at Irrigation Association 28th Annual International Irrigation Show. San Diego, CA. December 9, 2007. 12 pp.

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