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Effect of Cattle Feedyard Runoff on Soil Infiltration Rates
Author(s) -
Lehman Oliver R.,
Clark R. Nolan
Publication year - 1975
Publication title -
journal of environmental quality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1537-2537
pISSN - 0047-2425
DOI - 10.2134/jeq1975.00472425000400040003x
Subject(s) - surface runoff , infiltration (hvac) , soil water , hydrology (agriculture) , structural basin , soil science , geology , geomorphology , geotechnical engineering , ecology , physics , biology , thermodynamics
A compact clay soil from a playa lake and a relatively porous, blocky, buried soil, both representative of feedyard runoff holding basins in the Texas High Plains, were treated with clear ground water and synthesized feedyard runoff. Infiltration rates were measured by using constant heads of liquid on undisturbed laboratory cores and in field basins. Infiltration rates of clear water in both the cores and the basins stabilized at approximately 0.1 cm/hour for the clay and 5.0 cm/hour for the buried soil for test runs up to 60 days. Addition of feedyard runoff markedly lowered infiltration rates in both soils within a few hours, and the rates were <0.006 cm/hour after 2 to 3 weeks. However, initial infiltration rates were restored to the buried soil basin treated with runoff by removing the surface 2 cm of soil and applying clear water. The results from this study, and numerous others, strongly suggest that relatively concentrated feedyard runoff will effectively seal many soils. The study also indicates that the primary sealing effects occur within a few centimeters of the surface.