Project Number: 5310-32000-001-02
Project Type: Specific C/A

Start Date: Aug 17, 1999
End Date: Jul 14, 2004

Objective:
Develop new and improved methods for managing animal waste products that will significantly reduce the risk of disease transmission from pathogenic microorganisms and develop new approaches for characterizing the fate and transport of pathogenic microorganisms to surface water, ground water and the atmosphere. Formerly 5310-42000-002-02S (5/01).

Approach:
Two new weighing lysimeters will be constructed at the U.S. Salinity Laboratory's Rhizotron facility. The lysimeters will have dimensions 6'x5'x9' and include instruments to measure loss of water from evaporation, soil temperature, soil heat flux, soil water content, soil matric potential, incoming solar radiation, net radiation, wind speed and direction, barometric pressure and the concentration of applied chemical or microorganisms as well as other important transport parameters. The lysimeters will be designed to allow several types of boundary condition at the lower boundary: constant head, constant flux, water table, etc. The weighing lysimeters will be used to study the movement of microorganisms from animal (beef or poultry) feed lots and determine the potential for contamination of the air or groundwater under more realistic environmental conditions than can be simulated in the laboratory. Once completed, the experimental facilities will be tested using conservative tracers and conventional solute transport simulation.SCA with UCRiverside.

Project Team

Van Genuchten, Martinus - Rien William Jury - Soil Scientist (909)369-4803

Project Annual Reports

FY 2003   FY 2002   FY 2001   FY 2000   FY 1999

Related National Programs

Manure and Byproduct Utilization (206)