DOI: 10.5061/dryad.tht76hf6z
title: Data from: Nutrient leaching potential along a time series of forest water reclamation facilities in Northern Idaho

description: Forest water reclamation is a decades-old practice of repurposing
 municipal reclaimed water using land application on forests to filter
 nutrients and increase wood production. However, long-term application may
 lead to nutrient saturation, leaching, and potential impairment of ground
 and surface water quality. We studied long-term effects of reclaimed water
 application on nutrient leaching potential in a four-decade time series of
 forest water reclamation facilities in northern Idaho. Our approach
 compared reclaimed water treated plots with untreated control plots at
 each of the forest water reclamation facilities. We measured soil
 nitrifier abundance and net nitrification rates and used tension
 lysimeters to sample soil matrix water and drain gauges to sample from a
 combination of matrix and preferential flow paths. We determined nutrient
 leaching as the product of soil water nutrient concentrations and
 model-estimated drainage flux. There was more than 450-fold increase in
 nitrifier abundance and a 1000-fold increase in net nitrification rates in
 effluent plots compared with control plots at long-established facilities,
 indicating greater nitrate production with increased cumulative inputs.
 Modeled drainage increased 12-120% in treated plots but only during the
 wet season in effluent plots at the long-established facilities. There
 were no differences in soil water ammonium, phosphate, and dissolved
 organic nitrogen concentrations between control and effluent treatments in
 tension lysimeter samples. However, concurrent with increased nitrifier
 abundance and net nitrification, nitrate concentration below the rooting
 zone was 2 to 4-fold higher and nitrate leaching was 4 to 10-fold higher
 in effluent treated plots, particularly at facilities that have been in
 operation for over three decades. Thus, net nitrification and nitrifier
 abundance assays are likely indicators of nitrate leaching potential.
 Inorganic nutrient concentrations in drain gauge samples were 2 to 11-fold
 higher than lysimeter samples, suggesting nutrient losses occurred
 predominantly through preferential flow paths. Nitrate was vulnerable to
 leaching during the wet season under saturated flow conditions. Although
 nitrogen saturation is a concern that should be mitigated at the
 long-established facilities, these forest water reclamation facilities are
 able to decrease average soil water nitrate concentrations to less than 2
 mg L-1, so that nitrogen and phosphorous are effectively filtered to below
 safe water standards.
description: # Data from: Nutrient Leaching Potential Along a Time Series of Forest
 Water Reclamation Facilities in Northern Idaho
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.tht76hf6z](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.tht76hf6z) This zip directory "NutrientLeaching_2024.zip" contains the data spreadsheets and metadata files required to reproduce analyses reported in the associated study. Authors: Eureka Joshi, Madeline R. Schwarzbach, Bailey Briggs, Erik R. Coats, and Mark D. Coleman All comments and requests should be addressed to: Mark D.Coleman ([mcoleman@uidaho.edu](mailto:mcoleman@uidaho.edu)) **File list (files within NutrientLeaching_2024.zip)** The folder includes four data spreadsheets with corresponding metadata files. * AOA_AOB_NitrifierAbundance.csv * AOA_AOB_NitrifierAbundance_Metadata.csv * DrainGauge_Concentration&Leaching.csv * DrainGauge_Concentration&Leaching_Metadata.csv * Lysimeter_Concentration&Leaching.csv * Lysimeter_Concentration&Leaching_Metadata.csv * Net_Ammonification_Nitrification.csv * Net_Ammonification_Nitrification_Metadata.csv **File descriptions** Data presented are for soil and soil pore water samples collected at forest water reclamation facilities in northern Idaho at reclaimed water treated plots and unamended control plots. `AOA_AOB_NitrifierAbundance.csv`- Data on soil nitrifier abundance (ammonia oxidizing archaea (AOA) and ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB)). AOA_AOB_NitrifierAbundance_Metadata.csv- Metadata for data in AOA_AOB.csv file. `DrainGauge_Concentration&Leaching.csv`- Data on drain gauge soil pore water nutrient concentrations and leaching. DrainGauge_Concentration&Leaching_Metadata.csv- Metadata for data in DrainGauge_Conc&Leaching.csv file. `Lysimeter_Concentration&Leaching.csv`- Data on tension lysimeter soil pore water nutrient concentrations and leaching. Lysimeter_Concentration&Leaching_Metadata.csv- Metadata for data in Lysimeter_Conc&Leaching.csv file. `Net_Ammonification_Nitrification.csv`- Data on net ammonification and nitrification rates. Net_Ammonification_Nitrification_Metadata.csv- Metadata for data in Net Ammonification_Nitrification.csv file.