Veterinary Pharmaceuticals in Dairy Farm Groundwater

BaCaTeC Ra

From 07/2006 to 12/2007

Principal Investigator: Michael Radke

Today there is growing concern about the presence of human and veterinary pharmaceuticals in the environment, especially in groundwater that is used as drinking water. The application of liquid manure from large animal farms is one of the major potential sources of veterinary pharmaceuticals in soils and groundwater. Depending on the physico-chemical properties of the pharmaceuticals and the soil, these compounds are sorbed to soil particles, degraded, or transported to and within the groundwater. Within this project, several veterinary pharmaceuticals will be determined in liquid manure, soil, and groundwater at monitoring sites established and operated by the Californian co-operators for almost 10 years. Based on the well characterized hydrological conditions at these field sites, this project will yield data on the influence of manure application on concentrations of pharmaceuticals in groundwater.