Shaanxi Agricultural Non point Source Pollution Project2

Agricultural Non‑Point Source Pollution Project

This project is a key environmental protection initiative aimed at implementing the Yellow River Basin Ecological Protection and High‑Quality Development Strategy, promoting green agricultural development, and improving regional water environment quality. It undertakes the important mission of preventing and controlling agricultural non‑point source pollution, improving the watershed ecological protection system, and ensuring regional ecological security. The project directly affects the effectiveness of agricultural and rural pollution control and the water quality safety of the Yellow River Basin.

Located in the middle reaches of the Yellow River, the region has concentrated agricultural production activities and developed industries such as crop farming and livestock breeding. However, due to long‑term agricultural practices – including the irrational use of fertilizers and pesticides, improper disposal of livestock manure, haphazard discharge of rural domestic sewage, straw burning, and residual plastic film – agricultural non‑point source pollution has become diffuse, hidden, and complex. Pollutants enter rivers and groundwater through surface runoff and subsurface infiltration. This not only affects the rural living environment but also poses a potential threat to the safety of regional drinking water sources and restricts green and sustainable agricultural development.

Traditional manual monitoring suffers from long cycles, delayed data, and limited coverage, making it difficult to accurately identify pollution sources and migration pathways or to meet the requirements for refined control of agricultural non‑point source pollution as stipulated in the Technical Specifications for Intelligent Monitoring of Agricultural Non‑Point Source Pollution. To build a strong ecological barrier for the Yellow River Basin, this project has been launched to establish an integrated “monitoring – early warning – governance – control” system, promoting a shift in agricultural non‑point source pollution management from “passive response” to “active prevention,” thereby providing solid support for regional green and high‑quality agricultural development.

Water Quality Monitoring Station

The water quality monitoring station is a comprehensive online automatic monitoring system based on online water quality analyzers, integrating modern technologies such as automatic measurement, automatic analysis, automatic control, computer applications, and communication networks. It primarily monitors nine parameters: CODMn (permanganate index), ammonia nitrogen, total phosphorus, total nitrogen, pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, and electrical conductivity.

Soil and Water Leachate Monitoring Facility

This facility is designed for long‑term, systematic monitoring and assessment of farmland soil and water leachate. Its main function is to collect and analyze environmental data on farmland soil and water quality, enabling timely detection of potential environmental problems and providing scientific data for government decision‑making, farmer production guidance, and public environmental information. It is of great significance for ensuring the safety of the agricultural ecological environment and promoting sustainable agricultural development.

The primary purpose is to understand the process and extent to which nutrients and chemical substances in farmland soil migrate downward through soil pores into groundwater under the action of rainfall or irrigation. Through monitoring, the potential pollution risk of these substances to groundwater can be assessed, providing a scientific basis for field water and fertilizer management and groundwater protection.

Sensors: Based on actual conditions, sampling points are equipped with various sensors for real‑time monitoring of soil parameters (e.g., soil temperature, soil moisture, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium content) and water quality parameters (e.g., COD, ammonia nitrogen, pH, dissolved oxygen, electrical conductivity).

Data Analysis: The collected soil and water environment data are processed and analyzed to reveal soil and water quality, pollution status, and climate change impacts.

Early Warning: Based on preset environmental quality standards and thresholds, the system provides real‑time monitoring and early warning of changes and anomalies in the quality of the farmland soil and water environment.

Livestock Farm Monitoring Equipment

Livestock farms are equipped with environmental monitoring devices and manure/wastewater monitoring devices.

Air Environment Monitoring: Devices primarily monitor gaseous environmental parameters including sulfur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), air temperature, humidity, light intensity, carbon dioxide (CO₂), ammonia (NH₃), ozone (O₃), hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), and methane (CH₄).

Manure/Wastewater Quality Monitoring: Devices primarily monitor water quality parameters including suspended solids (SS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonium ions (NH₄⁺), pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), electrical conductivity (EC), and turbidity.

All collected data are transmitted wirelessly to a supervision platform. Through data integration and analysis, the information is presented to the farm operators and relevant regulatory authorities, enabling real‑time supervision.