Fertigation with wastewater from swine is very much used, mainly in the southern region of Brazil. However, the high polluting potential of these wastewaters represents a threat of soil contamination of surface and underground waters if used in excessive amounts. The objective of this work was to evaluate the leaching process of nitrate and phosphate ions in soil columns, getting the hydrodynamic dispersion coefficient and factor of retardation and potential of contamination of underground water. The effect of wastewater application on physical and chemical properties of the soil was verified. The results showed that the potential for contamination of underground water by nitrate ions is high, in contrast to what occurs with phosphate ions that presented low potential of contamination due to their high reactivity.
ion movement; fertigation; soil pollution
