This paper describes some preliminary results from a field-scale study of the effect of field application of hog manure by injection on surface runoff water quality. In the study, manure injection at rates of 7,000 and 10,000 gal ac-1 are compared to an inorganically fertilized control at a site near the Bear Hills Pork Producers barn at Perdue, SK. Surface runoff water quality is assessed during snowmelt and by rainfall simulation. Analysis of the preliminary data indicates that concentrations of total and ortho P and NH3 in snowmelt runoff from the basin receiving 10,000 gal ac-1 of hog manure the previous fall increased relative to background measurements and the control basin. Concentrations of NH3 also appeared to increase in snowmelt runoff from the basin receiving 7,000 gal ac-1 of hog manure. Elevated P concentrations were also measured in runoff from the manured plots the following year. Although the rainfall simulation data were less conclusive, nutrient concentrations in runoff from the plots receiving hog manure appeared to increase relative to the control. There was no indication that hog manure application led to increased coliform counts in runoff water.

Introduction
Hog manure is a valuable source of nutrients and its application to fields as fertilizer is an environmentally-sustainable solution to a waste disposal problem. However, with
increasingly large amounts of manure produced in a single location and prohibitively high transportation costs, manure applications to fields close to hog operations may exceed environmentally sustainable rates. If nutrients are applied in excess of crop requirements they may be transported to surface water through runoff or to groundwater through leaching. While the organic C and micro-organisms in manure can be beneficial to soil, dissolved organic C, bacteria and parasites may pollute water resources. Research is required to confirm that hog manure can be applied to agricultural fields without negatively impacting the environment and to establish sustainable rates of manure application. We have undertaken a field-scale study that is designed to assess the impact of hog manure application on soil and water quality by comparing two rates of manure application with an inorganically fertilized control and by comparing two methods of manure injection. This Health Issues and Water Quality paper describes the methodology for the surface water quality component of the study and presents some preliminary results.