Surface Water Hydrology

Lecture 13: Infiltration

• Readings:
– Applied Hydrology Sections 4.3 and 4.4;
– Handbook of Hydrology Sections 5.1 and 5.2
• Soil texture and classification
• Soil water properties, K(), ()
• Infiltration
• Green-Ampt method
 Particle size measurement

Seives of progressively smaller size to get size

Distribution of soil

http://www.soils.agri.umn.edu/academics/classes/soil2125/doc/s2chp1.htm
 Soil
Classification

USDA particle size classification

< 0.002mm is clay

0.002 – 0.5mm is silt
0.5mm – 10mm is sand
> 10mm is gravel
USDA Soil Texture Triangle

A soil with 30% sand,

40% clay and 30% silt
is a Clay Loam

% Silt = 100 - %Sand - %Clay

Variation of Saturated Hydraulic
Conductivity with Soil Texture
K

Se
 K




K
Interconnection of
Soil water properties


 Double Ring Infiltrometer
Measure rate of fall in inner ring

Infilration

http://www.alwi.com/wastewater.php
Infiltration by Horton’s method

f  fc   f0  fc e  kt
Infiltration into a soil water column

 h1  h2 
1 f  K 
 z1  z 2 
2 F  L
Green-Ampt method

 r
Se  Relative saturation
i   r

     i Incremental change
in soil water content
as wetting front passes
Green-Ampt Parameter Definitions

 r
Se  Relative saturation

i   r

     i Incremental change
in soil water content
as wetting front passes
Math for Green Ampt
Green-
Ampt
Parameters