The Beneficial Use of Biosolids from the City of Grand Rapids: A Third-Year Assessment of Its Impact on Shallow Soil Water

Abstract

This report, which presents the results of the third year of a three-year study, is part of a project sponsored by the City of Grand Rapids at the North Central Experiment Station (NCES) on the beneficial re-use of biosolids. The project was coordinated by the NCES, with.technical assistance provided by the Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI). The overall purpose of the project is to determine if biosolids can be used in a beneficial manner, alone, or in combination with wood ash, in reforestation practices in northern Minnesota. The purpose of this portion of the project is to evaluate the impact of applying biosolids, with and without wood ash, on shallow soil water in the unsaturated zone of a newly reforested area. Biosolids from the City of Grand Rapids were applied by NCES staff on research plots planted with various tree seedlings in the summer of 1995. The biosolids were applied at two rates, 15 and 30 ton/acre, with and without wood ash applied at a single rate of 10 ton/acre. This report presents the results from the third year of the study of soil water monitoring during the summer/fall of 1997. Annual reports were prepared in 1996 (McCarthy and Monson Geerts 1996) and 1997 (McCarthy and Monson Geerts 1997) that summarized the data from the first two years of the project.