1. Monitoring and Assessment of Impact of Nutrient Management Measures Dr. Antanas Sigitas ŠILEIKA Water Management Institute Sigitas@water.omnitel.net 2004 09 14

2. The problem Status Report on Implementation of the 1988 Ministerial Declaration reveled that non of the HELCOM Contracting Parties had achieved the overall N and P load reduction target of 50 % to the Baltic Sea

3. Nutrient load to the Baltic Sea N, tonsP, tons Country1990199519901995 Denmark Estonia Finland Germany Latvia Lithuania Poland Russia Sweden 83,000 59,000 72,000 14,000 94,000 19,000 120,000 81,000 119,000 68,700 46,500 66,000 21,400 91,000 36,800 214,800 84,600 130,900 5,300 2,800 3,400 1,200 3,200 1,700 15,000 9,500 4,000 2,600 1,300 3,600 0,600 2,200 1,400 14,200 7,100 4,700 TOTAL661,000760,70046,10037,700 N load has increased 100,000 tons

4. Nutrient load to the Baltic Sea from the r. Nemunas in Lithuania 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 3,736 7,144 5,273 4,727 7,980 6,654 5,727 1,078 1,664 14,978 15,131 14,727 27,596 32,753 23,193 39,661 27,205 37,383 5,845 1,780 2,972 1,561 1,723 0,979 1,128 0,592 1,076 YearNH 4 -N, tNO 3 -N, tPO 4 -P, t Source: Monitoring annals of the Lithuanian Joint Research Centre. Calculation for the Nemunas basin from Smalininkai post NO3-N load has increased 2.5 times

5. Nitrogen load from agriculture in rivers of Finland, Germany, Denmark and Lithuania Source: Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry (BERNET Report), 2000 Monitoring data of the Lithuanian Joint Research Centre N leaching from Nemunas basin 6 times less than from Denmark

6. Agricultural Production, N Fertilization in Lithuania, NO3-N Concentration in Agricultural Rivers Production % Fertilization % Concentration mg/l

7. AVG NO3-N Concentration, mg/l 1996-2001 > 4.1 mgN/l

8. NO 3 - N changes in the agricultural and background rivers Period of agr. reform.

9. Duckweed in the r. Nevezis

10. Nutrient concentration in rivers Phosphorus concentration dropped down below eutrophication level 0,05 mg/l; Ammonium nitrogen concentration now is below permitted limit 0,39 mg/l; Meantime concentration of nitrate nitrogen increased and still is higher than before 1990 in agricultural rivers.

11. N cycle in watershed Rainfall Fodder Emission Fertilizers N fixation Food Leaching Runoff

12. Monitoring and Assessment Method 1. Demonstration watersheds in the areas vulnerable to nitrate pollution and built on previous BAAP and other works; 2. Topography, soils characteristics and land use GIS data base in watersheds; 3. Advanced manure handling in animal farm and nutrients balance on fields and farms; 4. Monitoring of agricultural runoff, precipitation, water quality in dug wells.

13. WatershedTotal area, km 2 Arable, % Pasture, % Forest, % Graisupis14.1 48.1 24.127.8 Vardas7.5 32.2 44.823.0 Lyzena1.83 23.374.32.4 Bariunai0.24Farm Yard 0.10 Characteristics of demonstration watersheds

14. Vardas Bariūnai Graisupis Lyžena Location of Monitoring Watersheds

15. Watersheds Graisupis post Vardas post Lyzena post

16. Opening of the DF

17. Monitoring post

18. Monitoring methods Thompson weirs are used for flow measurements in streams. Water level is registered automatically by limnigraphs; The river water samples are taken manually every day. Joint weekly samples are analysed in spring and joint monthly sample at another time of the year; The concentration of nutrients and average monthly values of the river water flow are used for calculation of nutrient losses; Tipping buckets are used for drainage flow measurements.

19. NO 3 -N load from watershed, kg ha yr -1 199719981999TotalAVG r. Graisupis11.617.66.936.112.0 Ditch13.419.214.946.815.6 Crop16.122.811.550.816.8 Pasture6.75.34.416.45.5 Rainfall4.91.95.2312.44.0 Largest load from crop

20. NO 3 -N concentration in r. Nevezis (upstream Kedainiai) and Graisupis

21. Nutrient retention Load from crop Load in stream Load in ditch Load in river

22. Assessment of watersheds monitoring The highest N losses (15.3 kg N ha -1 ) determines more intensive agricultural activity in Graisupis (71.5 kg N ha -1 of fertilisers; 54% of arable land; 0.87 LU ha -1 ); Close to the sea (Lyzena) are bigger water discharges in winter but due to low N content in soil (32.9 kg N ha -1 of fertilisers, 74% of grassland) the annual N losses are very small (5.7 kg N ha -1 ); The highest P losses (0.318 kg P ha -1 ) determine Vardas hilly relief and clay soil; Bigger specific water runoff (0.08 l s -1 ha -1 ) and light soils (sandy loam) determine comparatively high N losses (11.9 kg N ha -1 ) despite low farming activity (39.4 kg N ha -1 of fertilisers, 45% of grassland) in Vardas watershed.

23. N cycle on farm N losses

24. N and P input in soil of dem. farm Input, kg ha -1 199519992001199519992001 Fertilizers & seeds418512430109 Fodder and animals 7910226 Deposition & fixation 417.61300.50 Manure71014 Total I59122160321315 PN

25. 199519992001199519992001 Crop yield8012374132416 NH3 evaporation750 Leaching383023 Denitrification383016 Total II163237113132416 Total I-Total II (x)-102-111+46+20-10-4 Residues (y)3443326147 x–y =deficit/oversupply-136-154+14 -24-11 N and P output from soil, kg ha -1 DeficitOversupply

26. Field Trials

27. N leaching dependence on crop The least leaching is from perennial pastures The highest leaching is from row crops

28. Grassland management and NO3- N leaching to drainage, kg ha -1 Before ploughing After ploughing

29. Slurry in Lithuanian large farms

30. Nutrients in milk production 111 kgN, 12 kgP and 104 kgK produce one cow per year

31. Lithuanian obligations to EU To establish manure storages on large farms with more than 300 AU as well as on newly established farms having over 150 AU within a 4-year period after entering the EU All the rest farms with more than 10 AU endangering the environment with nitrates will also have to reconstruct their barns later.

32. Barn watershed Monitoring post Manure storage Cow barn

33. Barn territory before manure storage construction

34. Layout of manure handling system Manure pad Surry pit Cow barn

35. Manure storage, slurry reservoir and rain water management

36. Filling of slurry spreader

37. Slurry spreading by trailing hoses

38. Total N concentration in drainage water from the territory of barns Permitted limit 12mgN/l Before construction Filling Full pit

39. Total P concentration in drainage water from the territory of barns Permitted limit 1500 micro gP/l Filling Full pit Before construction

40. Manure storage capacity and financing need for farms > 10 AU Number of farms – Ctl 1450 and Pig 49 Manure pads need – Ctl 446.5 thou m 2 Slurry reservoirs need – Ctl 472.7 thou m 3 and Pig 39.8 thou m 3 Manure pads construction cost– Ctl 22.5 M EUR Slurry reservoirs cost – Ctl 50.8 M EUR and Pig 4.6 M EUR Total cost – 78.0 M EUR

41. NO3-N concentration in 5775 dug wells >10 mgN/l

42. Water improvement in dug well Permitted limit