| Abstract: | Nitrate-contaminated ground water beneath and adjacent to an intensive swine ( Sus scrofa domesticus ) production facility in the Middle Coastal Plain of North Carolina was analyzed for δ15N of nitrate (δ15N-NO3). Results show that the isotopic signal of animal waste nitrogen is readily identifiable and traceable in nitrate in this ground water. The widespread land application of animal wastes from intensive livestock operations constitutes a potential source of nitrogen contamination to natural water throughout large regions of the United States and other countries. The site of the present study has been suspected as a nitrate contamination source to nearby domestic supply wells and has been monitored for several years by government and private water quality investigators through sampling of observation wells, ditches, and streams. δ15N of nitrate allowed direct identification of animal waste-produced nitrate in 11 of 14 wells sampled in this study, as well as recognition of nitrate contributions from non-animal waste agricultural sources in remaining wells. |
