Soil Properties and Runoff

Soils are the environmental regulators of rain: when it falls, soil properties determine if it goes into the soil (infiltration) or across the surface (runoff). In the runoff water there may be sediment and whatever is attached to it, nutrients and other elements dissolved in the water, and biological entities such as bacteria.

Exactly what ends up in runoff is a complex interaction of factors. Of the nutrients, phosphorus (P) is a nutrient that probably has had the greatest attention in recent decades. However, blanket installation of conservation practices has not reduced P loss in many watersheds. Work has shown that in many situations, relatively small areas of a watershed contribute more potential pollutants to the runoff.

See why, and possibilities to address the issue in the August 2020 REACH Newsletter.