The Effect of Salinity on Nitrate Leaching

Column lysimeters planted to tall fescue or bermudagrass used to collect leachate in the greenhouse portion of the study. SOIL SALINITY is a problem in the western United States due to the occur-rence of soluble salts in many desert soils and irrigation with moderately saline water. In southern Nevada, irrigation has leached native salts below the root zone, creating a perched saline aquifer estimated at approximately 100,000 acre feet. Having an electroconductivity (EC) of 9 dS m' (approximately one fifth of seawater), this aquifer represents a potential threat to the deeper primary aquifer. As a resource, how-ever, this aquifer contains enough water to satisfy the irrigation needs of many of the existing golf courses in Las Vegas for the next 20 years. If properly managed, thi