How to Get Rid of Algae in Field Drain Tiles

Field drain tiles are submerged pipes in fields that allow or facilitate runoff in order to prevent standing water in fields that contain livestock or crops.

Field drain tiles are submerged pipes in fields that allow or facilitate runoff to prevent standing water in fields that contain livestock or crops. These submerged pipes help to keep farm products, whether animal or vegetable, healthy in times of rain. Sometimes, however, algae will grow in the pipes and block them, as a result of rich nutrient content flowing through them. This often occurs when manure or other organic nutrient content, such as phosphates from soap use, get into the local water supply, enhancing the nutrient content of the local ecosystem. An effective way to get rid of algae is to prevent large quantities of water containing rich organic content from running through the pipes, thereby preventing algal bloom overgrowth.

Things You'll Need

• Clogged field drain tiles

Instructions

Control the amount of organic run off that goes into your field drain tiles to prevent algal blooms:

1. Install a methane digester if you are a livestock farmer to reduce organic runoff: Methane digesters are large containers that contain bacteria, which can reduce the organic waste that goes directly into the ground.This can prevent overabundance of nutrients in field drains which causes algal blooms. After a farmer collects animal manure and places it into the container, these machines process methane into electricity or other another usable form of energy.

2. Pump your animal waste into a containment tank: Instead of releasing your animal waste directly into the surrounding environment, pump your waste into a containment tank, especially when the algae levels are high. Nutrients in manure encourage algae to grow. Release your waste at times when the algal levels are low, to prevent a clog.

3. Plant wetland plants around your field drains: Wetland plants have been shown to reduce toxic pollutants in areas where increased amounts of phosphorus were released into the environment. An article in the journal 'Nutrient Cycling" in Agroecosystems discussed experiments where wetland plants were able to reduce phosphorus runoff in farm waste effluent. The Helsinki commission reports that simple catchcrops, such as grasslands with strong root systems, are effective at preventing runoff-containing nutrients, such as phosphorus that can promote algal blooms in field drains.

References

• Sierra Club Michigan Chapter: Glossary of CAFO Terms
• Springerlink: The potential use of wetlands to reduce phosphorus export from agricultural catchments
• Helsinki Commission Baltic Marine Protection Commission: Examples of measures for reducing phosphorus and nitrogen losses from agriculture