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Phytokinetics offers poplar trees as solution to agricultural runoff By
Jeremiah Stettler
Editor's note: This story was written for COMM 3110, "Beyond the Inverted Pyramid," an advanced news-feature writing class in the USU department of journalism and communication. It may have started from the ground up, but the commercial seedling of water treatment pioneer Ari Ferro is digging much deeper into a problem that has seeped yard-by-yard into the Bear River Basin. The issue is agricultural runoff - a problem that a 1994 Environmental Protection Agency study identified as the greatest source of pollution for Utah waterways. It's a problem that stems from natural contaminants, such as phosphates and nitrates, that leach into the soil as part of almost 3,600 cubic yards, or 60 feet by 54 feet by 30 feet, of animal waste that are produced by Cache County livestock every day - enough to fill a large barn. Ferro doesn't claim to have a quick fix for groundwater contamination, but he believes his philosophy can produce a marked improvement in the Bear River Basin. The secret, he said, stems from the root system of poplar trees. Beginning at the University of Utah, and later continuing at Utah State University, a water treatment technique called phytoremediation was developed from Ferro's research as a method of treating contaminated soil and water with native plants and trees. His philosophy culminated in the 1994 creation of a North Logan operation called Phytokinetics. The bottom line, said Phytokinetics project manager Julie Chard, is creating a natural "pump and treat" system, whether it be a stand of poplars or a field of sunflowers, that can filter agricultural contaminants through the roots of naturally hardy or genetically engineered trees. "A lot of companies are looking for better alternatives to treat groundwater. . . . People would rather see a large stand of poplar trees than a big machine." --Brandon Chard Contaminants such as phosphates and nitrates, which are often derived from soil erosion, livestock manure and other urban sources, have presented a particular challenge to the quality of Utah water. Ray Loveless, water quality specialist for the Utah Association of Conservation Districts, pinpointed phosphorous as the primary contaminant of local water supplies. Phytoremediation, a term created from two words, namely "phyto," meaning plant, and "remediation," meaning the process of remedying or overcoming a problem, was designed to draw those pollutants from the soil. Nearly a dozen sites have already contracted with Phytokinetics for soil and water remediation, including a solvent recovery site in Southington, Conn. and 20 acres of drained sludge lagoons in Muskegon, Mich. At the Michigan site, more than 13,000 poplar trees were planted row by row in a pseudo-military formation. But the company's technique for soil remediation has also included the planting of several thousand willows or introduction of selected grass species. Brandon Chard, project supervisor for Phytokinetics, explained that Ferro's technique has produced notable improvements at each of the locations from both a chemical and aesthetical standpoint. The focal point of the company's philosophy, however, has revolved around the use of poplar trees. Ferro indicated in a summary of the company's remedial techniques that poplars are used primarily for their naturally rapid growth rate and high rate of summertime water consumption. The concern for Phytokinetics, said Julie, is that poplars commonly have shallow root systems that limit the trees' ability to reach low-lying groundwater. She explained that trees have been genetically developed with deeper root systems to accommodate for the company's need. Once the trees are planted, contaminants can be absorbed through the root system as fertilizer. Once established, remediation sites provide a more visually pleasing environment than would conventional methods of pumping groundwater mechanically, or removing the soil and incinerating it. "A lot of companies are looking for better alternatives to treat groundwater," Brandon said. "There are a lot of ways to deal with it, but some of the more conventional methods have actually contaminated the air (in the process). This is gaining popularity with the public. People would rather see a large stand of poplar trees than a big machine." But several issues must be taken into consideration before planting the trees, he said. If nutrients are too scarce for the survival of the trees, or if root systems are impeded in any way, the process can impossible. Other factors limiting the success of phytoremediation can include excessive levels of soil contamination or groundwater depths that are too low for the root systems of the trees. Ferro indicated that water supplies must preferably lie less than 12 feet below the surface for the roots to gain access to the saturated zone of the soil. Despite the drawbacks that follow natural soil remediation, Julie explained that several advantages have helped the project gain momentum, namely cost and aesthetic appeal. "Phytoremediation is an inexpensive and on-site process," said Julie. "You don't have to remove anything from the land to get it started. The drawback is that it takes a few seasons for the trees to get big enough to have a large impact." Phytoremediation traditionally requires three to four growing seasons before the trees are large enough to have a marked effect on groundwater contamination. The poplar trees are planted densely enough to provide maximum water use, but spaced at intervals that prevent overcrowding. The company's intent, said Ferro, is to create a dense row of deep-rooted poplars that can serve as a barrier to contaminated groundwater. In general, the public has been skeptical of the practice, said Brandon, particularly in the Western United States. The stigma land-users have attached to Phytokinetics as being a pro-environmental firm have hindered the company's success. East Coast communities have been more progressive, but the process is still in the genesis stages of public acceptance. Yet at the heart of Ferro's philosophy lies a concept that Cache County Water Policy Advisory Board Director Thad Erickson said has been used subconciously by farmers and irrigators for decades. The process may be refined, he said, but the theory has been implemented in the form of wetlands nationwide. "It's an old concept," said Erickson. "I haven't heard of (Phytokinetics) directly, but I know vegetation has an impact on water quality. It's like a tree. It takes in the carbon dioxide and gives off something we can use. Wetlands traditionally have the same effect on water." John Hardman, a soil conservationist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service, agreed, stating that he was unfamiliar with the practice as a commercial technique, but was confident that woody vegetation would benefit agricultural land. "Vegetation buffers (between farmland and irrigation canals) have been discussed as one of the ways to improve water quality," Hardman said. "Woody vegetation is not always permitted along the canals, but establishing trees would obviously provide shade to the canal while drawing up nutrients from the soil." Buffer zones, whether they consist of trees or grasses along Cache Valley canal banks, have been suggested as a means of reducing agricultural runoff, said Brandon. He believes it may be an answer to reducing much of the pollution that enters Cache waterways. "The Bear River has been classified by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) as one of the most contaminated waterways in Utah," he said. " It seems like there needs to be some kind of rehabilitation of the streambank to avert sources of nonpoint pollution (such as runoff from agricultural operations, city streets and golf courses).Willows, cottonwoods and other types of trees could do some of that remediation." Ferro's research has spread throughout the United States, and has now reached the international market. As oil sites in California, Oregon and Texas implement phytoremediation as a method of contaminant reduction has opened doors in Australia as a consultant to engineers working on a landfill reclamation project. Phytokinetics is rapidly expanding to international soil, but the
root of the operation remains in Cache Valley as the concept of phytoremediation
gains popularity as a future alternative to improving water quality
in the Bear River Basin. |
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