Journal of Water and Environment Technology
Online ISSN : 1348-2165
ISSN-L : 1348-2165
Original Papers
Characteristics of Leachate from Citrus Groves and their Changes in the Collecting Reservoirs in Matsuyama, Japan
Fumitake NISHIMURAYuki KOIKENetra P. BHANDARYHiroshi TSUNO
Author information
JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

2011 Volume 9 Issue 2 Pages 111-120

Details
Abstract
Matsuyama region, located in Shikoku Island, Japan faces the Seto Inland Sea on the west, where the annual rainfall is relatively less than in the other areas in Japan. In such favorable condition, the cultivation of citrus fruits is popular, and there are a large number of small reservoirs for irrigation purposes. The citrus groves are distributed in hilly areas surrounding the paddy fields and residential areas so there are higher chances for the nearby water environment to get affected by leachate from the groves. This paper investigates the water quality characteristics of the leachate from the groves, and studies the changes of the leachate quality near the collecting reservoirs. It was found that the grove soils are highly acidic and the leachate contains metals and nutrients in high concentration. On the other hand, the water quality of the leachate changed after it flowed into the reservoirs, and the concentrations became lower. It is understood that chemical and biological reactions help remove the contaminants in the reservoir, and from the standpoint of self-purification, reservoirs play an important role. This paper also discusses the kinetics of the self-purification and the quantitative estimation based on the experimental results.
Content from these authors
© 2011 Japan Society on Water Environment
Previous article Next article
feedback
Top