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New Software Aids Fight Against Nitrates in Florida's Groundwater
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Florida State University researchers have developed the ArcGIS-Based Nitrate Load Estimation Toolkit (ArcNLET), software designed to help state and local governments measure the amount of nitrates from septic systems that end up in surface water bodies such as lakes and rivers.
ArcNLET, which was developed by Florida State graduate student Fernando Rios and professor Ming Ye, recently debuted at a training workshop geared toward employees of Florida's state, local, and county governments. "Basically, we just want to introduce people to the software and give them an idea of what it can do," Rios says. "It's basically a tool to help guide certain kinds of decision-making."
Calculating the nitrate load from septic tanks to surface water bodies is crucial to the analysis of water resources and to environmental management. "In Florida, there's a lot of septic tank usage — and an increased potential for increased groundwater and surface contamination," Rios says. "When the nitrates enter groundwater, they can end up in drinking water and surface water."
From Florida State University
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