Vegetative Filter Strip (Vfs) Applications for Runoff and Pollution Management in the Saemangeum Area of Korea

This study was conducted to develop a vegetative filter strip (VFS) technique to manage agricultural non-point source (NPS) pollution in the region in Korea. The experimental plots were constructed with two different sizes and slopes in the uplands within the Saemangeum Basin. The soil type of the study area was classified as loam with NRCS hydrologic soil type B, and showed typical upland soil characteristics. The rainfall–runoff relationships and NPS pollution reduction effects of the VFS were assessed, and the total cost of VFS application was estimated. It was noted that runoff reduction effects ranged from 14.1 to 69.3%, and NPS pollution reduction effects were 9.8–94.2% in suspended solid (SS), 24.0–73.3% in total nitrogen (T-N) and 47.6–80.9% in total phosphorus (T–P) from the VFS plots. The variations of VFS effects were caused by various factors including size and slope of the source area, cover ratio and width of VFS, as well as rainfall characteristics. The total VFS application cost was estimated to be approximately US$3390 ha⁻¹ yr.⁻¹, considering the costs for construction and maintenance of the VFS system and the loss of benefit caused by giving up crop cultivation in the area needed for VFS construction.