A three-year study was conducted to determine the feasibility of using riparian buffer systems to assimilatenitrogen (N) from swine lagoon effluent. Replicated 30 4 m plots were established at the interface of a pasture andriparian forest. Wastewater from the third lagoon of the University of Georgia Coastal Plain Experiment Station mainswine research unit was applied to each plot by overland flow from tanks at the top end of each plot. The wastewater,which contained an average N concentration of 160 mg L1 N, primarily as ammonium (NH4-N), was applied to the plotsat two different rates (either once per week [1 , 1285 L/plot] or twice per week [2 , 2570 L/plot]). Three differentvegetative buffer treatments were evaluated: (1) 10 m grass buffer draining into 20 m existing riparian zone vegetation;(2) 20 m grass buffer draining into 10 m existing riparian zone vegetation; and (3) 10 m grass buffer draining into 20 mmaidencane (Panicum hematomon). The effects of the wastewater on surface runoff and groundwater quality wereevaluated by transects of surface runoff collectors, suction lysimeters, and shallow groundwater wells which extendedfrom the top to the bottom of each plot. Data analyses showed differences due to wastewater application rate and distancedownslope from the wastewater application pipe. Nitrogen concentrations increased over time at the top ends of the plotsbut showed little increase at the bottom ends of the plots. Overall, all three vegetative treatments were successful inassimilating N from the wastewater. The study showed that riparian buffer systems, where wastewater is applied byoverland flow, can be effective in assimilating N contained within lagooned animal wastes.
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Hubbard et al. (1998) studied this question.