New trial to reduce fertiliser runoff underway

How do you reduce fertiliser runoff from blueberry crops and improve water quality in coastal creeks and rivers? A new trial by the Clean Coastal Catchments (CCC) project aims to help farmers find answers to that question.

The trial will examine how effectively artificial wetlands and woodchip bioreactors remove nutrients from waste water draining from potted blueberries.

Beneficial bacteria living in wetlands and the bioreactor woodchips, can consume excess nitrogen from the waste water. Vegetation in wetlands can also take up nitrogen through their root systems.

Excess nitrogen from agricultural fertilisers poses a serious environmental threat to waterways, increasing the risk of algal blooms and other water quality issues that can cause harm to marine life, not to mention the broader impact of potential greenhouse gas emissions.

The next step for the CCC project is to develop best practice methods for local berry farmers interested in installing their own bioreactor or artificial wetland.

The trial is being conducted by NSW Department of Primary Industries at the Wollongbar Primary Industries Institute and is funded through the NSW Marine Estate Management Strategy.

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