Removing Excess Nitrogen From Our Rivers
A serious and growing environmental problem in our country is the vast amounts of nitrogen that is leaching into our rivers from our farmlands. It is becoming a serious problem because of the effect it is having on the Gulf of Mexico where algae growth and the subsequent die-off is depleting an ever growing area of vital oxygen. This is creating a large DEAD ZONE.
Now I don't have a final and definitive answer to this problem, but I have some ideas that I want to share that I believe can be developed into one or more viable solutions.
My first suggestion is that we need to find a way to store some of this water when creek and river levels are highest and the nitrogen runnoff is greatest . . . and then irrigate our farmlands with this nitrogen rich water when rainfall is less. There is never a summer in the midwest without at least a few weeks when additonal water would be of tremendous benefit to crops. And when you add the fact that this water would be heavily laden with the very nitrogen that farmers already add to their soil, the benefits would be huge.
An important note for consideration is that the very power of the river could be used to pump or transport water to the fields or to a storage location.
Another important point is that often, even during dry times, a hard brief rain will swell our creeks and rivers without effectively watering the land where our crops are growing. This water is lost as it travels downstream to the ocean.
My second suggestion is that we use the power of the swollen river to force vast amounts of water up into the air where the nitrogen would be released, and oxygen would be replenished. This would not have to be complicated or expensive. The rivers contain more than enough power to do nearly all of the work with little engineering required.
I have much more thought on this subject and will be writing in far more detail at a future date.
