Animal wastes are a major contributor of nutrients and enteric microorganisms to surface water and ground water. Polyacrylamide
(PAM) mixtures are an effective flocculent, and we hypothesized that they would reduce transport of microorganisms in
flowing water. After waste water running at 60.0 1 min-1 flowed over PAM + Al2(SO4)3, or PAM + Ca0 in furrows, total coliform
bacteria (TC) and fecal coliform bacteria (FC) were reduced by 30-50% at 1 and 50 m downstream of the treatments compared to
the control. In a column study, PAM + Al 2 (SO4)3 , and PAM + Ca0 applied to sandy, sandy loam, loam, and clay soils reduced
NH4 and ortho-P concentrations in leachate compared to the source waste water and the control. PAM + Al 2 (SO4)3 and
PAM + CaO applied to sandy, sandy loam and loam soils reduced both total and ortho-P, concentrations in leachate compared to
the source wastewater and control treatment. In a field study, PAM + Al 2(SO4)3 , or PAM + CaO treatments did not consistently
reduce NH4, ortho-P, and total P concentrations in wastewater flowing over any soil compared to inflow wastewater or the
control treatment. With proper application PAM + Al 2 (SO4)3 and PAM + CaO may be able to reduce the numbers of enteric bacteria
in slowly flowing wastewater running off animal confinement areas, reducing the amount of pollutants entering surface water
and groundwater
