Sediment and Nutrient Reduction in Irrigation Return Flows by Vegetated Filter Strips on Surface Irrigated Fields

Nonpoint sources account for nearly two-thirds of nutrient loading to the nation's surface waters (Beutel et al., 2009; Sharpley et al., 2001). Vegetated filter strips can mitigate the effects of agricultural activities by presenting a physical barrier to sediment, nutrients, and pesticides being carried into streams (Munoz-Carpena and Parsons, 2004; Krutz et al., 2005). Filter strips may also reduce the flux of soluble nutrients through plant uptake or by supporting environmental conditions that favor chemical transformations such as denitrification (Haycock and Pinay, 1993; Cooper and Gilliam, 1987; Hickey and Doran, 2004).