Water quality characteristics of tailwater recovery systems associated with agriculture production in the mid-southern US

Abstract In the Lower Mississippi River Basin, tailwater recovery (TWR) systems are water conservation practices implemented to mitigate downstream nutrient losses and alleviate groundwater depletion as supplemental irrigation sources. This study was conducted to characterize water quality within TWR systems and assess the influence of precipitation and fertilizer application events, as well as reservoir levee protection, on water quality. Three TWR systems were selected, and water samples were collected during the growing seasons of 2014–2016. Nitrate (NO3) and dissolved inorganic orthophosphate (DIP) were observed to be significantly lower (p