Detection of Nitrate-N and Triazine Herbicides in Groundwater and Surface Water of an Agricultural Watershed in Western Kentucky

The quality of water in Kentucky\u27s agricultural watersheds has received considerable attention in recent years. The main concerns in com production areas usually center on content of nitrogen (N) from commercial fertilizer and triazines from herbicide applications in water. Although N can be found naturally in Kentucky soils, it can\u27t supply all the N that com needs to produce optimum yields. Therefore, fertilizer N is added to ensure ample nutrition. Triazine herbicides, on the other hand, do not occur naturally in the soil but are applied to the soil to effectively control weeds. Most commonly, these herbicides are applied at the time of com planting. With maximum contaminant levels (MCL) in drinking water of 10 parts per million (ppm) for nitrate-N and 3 parts per billion (ppb) for triazine, the question of agriculture\u27s role in water quality has been a concern for many citizens in this state. A typical agricultural watershed in western Kentucky was selected for intense study of N and triazine content in surface and groundwater within that watershed