Source Apportionment of Nitrate Pollution in Surface Water Using Stable Isotopes of N and O in Nitrate and B: A Case Study in Flanders (Belgium)

Excess application to fields of animal manure or mineral fertilizers is generally assumed to be the major source of nitrate pollution in surface and groundwater in agricultural areas in Flanders (Belgium). The Flemish Environment Agency (VMM) suspects, but could not prove, that discharges of untreated domestic sewage or discharges containing mineral fertilizers from hydroculture in greenhouses are also contributing to the nitrate pollution observed in some of the agricultural areas. The objective of this study was to investigate, using stable isotope data of dissolved nitrate and boron, if these suspected sources significantly contribute to the nitrate pollution observed in selected surface water monitoring points in Flanders.JRC.D.4-Isotope measurement