While in-field practices such as 4Rs nitrogen management and cover crops will be vital to meeting agricultural water quality goals, as substantial investments in drainage systems continue to be made, edge-of-field practices like bioreactors will also be a necessary part of the solution. Inside a bioreactor, provision of a solid organic carbon source in addition to maintenance of anoxic conditions allows the natural process of denitrification to be enhanced, meaning waters leaving these treatment systems have significantly reduced nitrate loads.
