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Soil and Groundwater Salinity Along Drainage Ditches in Eastern North Dakota
Author(s) -
Skarie R. L.,
Richardson J. L.,
Maianu A.,
Clambey G. K.
Publication year - 1986
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/jeq1986.00472425001500040004x
Subject(s) - groundwater , salinity , groundwater recharge , drainage , ditch , hydrology (agriculture) , soil salinity , water table , soil water , wetland , environmental science , geology , soil science , aquifer , ecology , oceanography , geotechnical engineering , biology
The most severely affected saline soils in the Red River Valley of North Dakota are normally observed in linear patterns along shallow roadside drainage ditches. Although the affected areas tend to be small, taken as a group they represent a considerable loss of productivity. Research was conducted to study the relationship between soil salinity and groundwater hydrology adjacent to roadside drains. Data for groundwater depth, electrical conductivity, and chemistry indicated that significant seepage occurs from the ditches. During recharge periods, both depth and salinity of groundwater tended to increase with distance from the drain. Ratios of Ca 2+ to Mg 2+ and Na + tended to decrease over the same distance. Maximum salinity of the soil surface was observed where groundwater was of intermediate depth and salinity for a given site. Soils near the drain were most saline at the surface, whereas soils beyond the influence of the ditch exhibited increasing salinity with depth. Seepage rates calculated from soil and groundwater parameters did not correlate with observed values of soil salinity for a given site. The degree of salinization appears more closely related to the frequency that surface water ponds in the drains. Pond permanence was inferred by wetland classification of the drains according to the plant species present.