Role of floodplain sediments in reducing the nitrate concentration of subsurface run-off: A case study in the Cotswolds,UK

Discharge of groundwater from a limestone aquifer through floodplain sediments is associated with a large decrease in the nitrate concentration of the water. Results are presented to show that only a small amount of this reduction is caused by dilution of groundwater by water already present within the floodplain sediments; most of the effect is an active reduction process, most probably biological denitrification. The nitrate reduction process appears to operate independently of surface vegetation type and tends to be focused in specific regions of the floodplain where sediments are anaerobic and carbon-rich. The results suggest that active denitrification can operate throughout the winter, when nitrate concentrations in groundwater are at their highest and that the process remains effective even during periods of maximum run-off. The results show that undrained floodplains can be used as buffer zones to protect surface waters from groundwater polluted with agriculturally derived nitrate.