Do constructed wetlands in grass strips reduce water contamination from drained fields?

Vallée, Romain; Dousset, Sylvie; Schott, François-Xavier; Pallez, Christelle; Ortar, Agnès; Cherrier, Richard; Munoz, Jean-François; Benoît, Marc

Do constructed wetlands in grass strips reduce water contamination from drained fields?

2015

This study evaluates the efficiency of two small constructed wetlands installed in the regulatory grass strips between a drained plot and a river. The observed nitrate removal efficiencies were independent of the season or type of constructed wetland and ranged from 5.4 to 10.9% of the inlet amounts. The pesticide mass budgets ranged from −618.5 to 100%, depending on the molecule. The negative efficiencies were attributed to runoff and remobilization. In contrast, the highest efficiencies were associated with pesticides with high Koc and low DT50 (half-life) values, suggesting sorption and degradation. However, the effectiveness of these wetlands is limited for pesticides with low Koc or high DT50 values; thus, the use of these molecules must be reduced. Increasing the number of these small, inexpensive and low-maintenance wetlands in the agricultural landscape would reduce the level of water pollution whilst preserving the extent of cultivated land, but their long-term effectiveness should be evaluated.

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