Water Movement in Soil

James L. Anderson, PhD David Gustafson Aziz Amoozegar, PhD David Lindbo, PhD Model Decentralized Wastewater Practitioner Curriculum

NDWRCDP Disclaimer
This work was supported by the National Decentralized Water Resources Capacity Development Project (NDWRCDP) with funding provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through a Cooperative Agreement (EPA No. CR827881-01-0) with Washington University in St. Louis. These materials have not been reviewed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. These materials have been reviewed by representatives of the NDWRCDP. The contents of these materials do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the NDWRCDP, Washington University, or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, nor does the mention of trade names or commercial products constitute their endorsement or recommendation for use.

CIDWT/University Disclaimer
These materials are the collective effort of individuals from academic, regulatory, and private sectors of the onsite/decentralized wastewater industry. These materials have been peer-reviewed and represent the current state of knowledge/science in this field. They were developed through a series of writing and review meetings with the goal of formulating a consensus on the materials presented. These materials do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of North Carolina State University, and/or the Consortium of Institutes for Decentralized Wastewater Treatment (CIDWT). The mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation for use from these individuals or entities, nor does it constitute criticism for similar ones not mentioned.

Citation
Gustafson, D., J. Anderson, A. Amoozegar, and D.L. Lindbo. 2005. Water Movement in Soil Power Point Presentation. in (D.L. Lindbo and N. E. Deal eds.) Model Decentralized Wastewater Practitioner Curriculum. National Decentralized Water Resources Capacity Development Project. North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC.

Water movement
Why is this important? How Systems work Flow patterns
Unsaturated
Biomat

Saturated
Darcys Law

Flow direction
Lateral movement Vertical movement

Soil impacts

Why is it important?
Keys to where it goes Keys to how it moves
Unsaturated Saturated

Identifies potential problems

Hydrologic Cycle
Precipitation ET Saturated flow Restrictive layer Unsaturated flow

Well Regional water table

Hydrology Components
Precipitation Evapotranspiration Infiltration
Surface flow (run-off) Subsurface flow
lateral flow, interflow, shallow groundwater flow

Vertical seepage
deep percolation, groundwater recharge

Unsaturated Zones"
Capillary fringe

Water table
Saturated

RAINFALL
(48-54 Inches/Year)

POTENTIAL ET
(36-40 Inches/Year) CROPLAND
SURF A CE RUNOF F
RATIO N

FORESTLAND

INFILT

SURFACE WATER

WATER TABLE GROUND WATER FLOW

CONFINED LAYER AQUTARD

AQUIFER RECHARGE (1/2 TO 2 Inch/Year)

CONFINED AQUIFER

Recharg e area

Discharge area

Water ta ble

Days
GROUND WATER SYSTEM

Years

Decades

Centuries Flow lines Millennia

Direction and rate of ground-water movement.

Precipitation Septic System Well

Infiltration Evapotranspiration

Wastewater Input

Ground Water Mounding

Lat Runoff era Slo l Fl wly ow Per Deep mea ble Percolation laye r

Stream Vadose Zone

Water Table Ground Water Slow Moving

Impermeable Layer

Precipitation Septic System Well

Infiltration Evapotranspiration

Wastewater Input Ground Water Mounding

Lat Runoff era Slo l Fl wly ow Per mea ble Deep laye r Percolation Vadose Zone

Stream

Water Table Slow Moving Ground Water

Impermeable Layer

Water thru the Soil Treatment Area

What is water What is sewage Onsite systems
System geometry

Flow patterns Idealized system

Water- What is it ?
Water is a di-polar, charged molecule The charges create bonds These bonds create adhesive and cohesive forces among molecules and surroundings Hydrogen atom
Oxygen atom

105

o+

H-bond
+ + + -

BONDS AND WATER DIPOLES

Sewage
What is it?
Water Bacteria food
BOD Nutrients

How much is Produced?

120-150 gpd per bedroom* 50-75 gpd per person

TSS
Solids

Pathogens Solutes Others

Where is it Produced?
Bathroom [60%]
Toilet 40% Bathing 20%

Kitchen Laundry

[20%] [20%]

Flow to the System

Amounts
Daily
Design

Variation in flow
Daily totals Comes in SHOTS

Monthly
Average 60-70% of Design

Waste strength
Biomat development

Annually
50-60% of Design

System definition
Use

Pretreatment

Final treatment & dispersal Soil treatment area [SAT]

System geometry

Infiltrative surface Infiltrative surface

System Geometry
Influences: Longer area
Smaller loading

Long

Short

Shorter length
Greater down slope impact

Contour Lines Drainage

Drainfield

Direction of Ground water Flow

Contour Lines Drainage

Drainfield

Direction of Ground water Flow

Contour Lines Drainage

DRAINFIELD

Direction of Ground water Flow

Drainage

Direction of Ground water Flow

Dra in

fiel d

Flow pattern in sub-surface trench

Unsaturated flow Saturated Conditions Unsaturated flow Mounded Groundwater Saturated flow

Unsaturated vs. Saturated flow

Unsaturated Saturated
Pores: Air available Slower: Next to particles Aerobic Pores: Volume filled with water Faster: In large pores Non aerobic

Saturated Conditions

Pores are filled with water

Unsaturated Conditions

Pores are filled with air & water along the soil particles

HYDROLOGY OF A SEPTIC SYSTEM

Infiltration from Trenches Vertical Movement through the Unsaturated Zone Lateral Movement in the Saturated Zone
Least Permeable

Ground Water Mounding and Formation of a Saturated Zone Slowly Permeable Layer

Flow pattern in sub-surface trench

Least Permeable

Ground Water Mounding and Formation of a Saturated Zone

Slowly Permeable Layer

Soil terms
Soil Horizon Soil Profile Texture Structure Consistence
Mineralogy
Topsoil Subsoil

Parent Material

Pore size Soil color

10/2/2003

Soil and Site. Lindbo et al. DRAFT

What is unsaturated flow

Matric potential
Tension Suckicity factor

Capillary attraction
Adhesion Cohesion

How does this happen Vertical movement Lateral movement

Matric potential
Tension
Suction High-to-low Potential

Impacts

Pore size & unsaturated flow

Large pores water will moved predominantly by gravity Small pores water will move in all directions better & further
Large Pores

Small Pores

Capillary Attraction
Adhesion attraction between dissimilar materials Cohesion attraction between similar materials

Capillary Fringe
Unsaturated zone above the water table Water held in this zone by tension (matric potential, adhesive and cohesive forces) This zone is generally not important to us, and is difficult to measure

How does unsaturated flow in the soil treatment area happen?

Unsaturated flow is the key Biomat formation
BOD Oxygen relationship TSS

Pressure distribution

Flow pattern in a gravity trench

Biomat Growth (t = 0 = start )

Flow pattern in a gravity trench

Biomat Growth (t = growth)

Flow pattern in a gravity trench

Biomat Growth (t=mature)

Flow pattern with Pressure Distribution

Pressure distribution

Biomat & sidewalls

Biomat develops along the bottom and then around the trench Ponding levels use sidewalls Excessive ponding depths may create saturated flow Narrower allows more surface area Narrower allows better O2 transfer

Soil treatment area sizing

Sewage effluent characteristics Soil properties
Texture Structure Consistence/ Mineralogy

The biomat Hydraulic conductivity?

Long Term Acceptance Rate

LTAR
The biomat controls the ability of the soil to accept effluent: this is the LTAR Generally State codes dictate LTARs CONFUSION
On the relationship of LTAR & Ksat
Hold on we will get there

on the relationships between texture/structure Constance and the Perc rate

LTAR
Texture/ Structure Other testsSaturated conductivity Percolation rates
Soil Characteristics and Soil Sizing Factor (> 3' separation)
Percolation Rate minu tes p er inch (m pi) faster than 0.1* 0.1 to 5 0.1 to 5** 6 to 15 16 to 30 31 to 45 46 to 60 over 61 to 120*** slow er than 120**** Soil Texture Coarse sand Med ium sand Loam y sand Fine sand Sand y loam Loam Silt loam Silt Clay loam Sand y clay Silty clay Clay Sand y clay Silty clay Soil Sizing Factor squ are feet/ gallon p er d ay(sqft/ gp d ) 0.83 0.83 1.67 1.27 1.67 2.00 2.20 4.20

*Use systems for rap id ly perm eable soils: pressu re d istribution or serial d istribu tion w ith no trench >25% of the total system . **Soil having 50% or m ore fine sand p lu s very fine sand . ***A mou nd m u st be used . ****An other or performance system mu st be u sed

Influencing the Biomat

Good Design Loading
Hydraulic Organic

Bad Peroxide Acid

Resting Depth of cover

Oxygen availability

Saturated soils contain free Free water is not under a suction, and flows in response to gravity. water

What is Saturation
A horizon is saturated when the soil water pressure is zero or positive This water has a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure, and pushes air out of holes in the ground In layman's terms Water flows from the soil into a hole

Auger hole in soil is filled with air just after digging

Water table

Air

Auger hole in soil is filled with air just after digging

Air 14 psi

Water table

Water below water table has pressure greater that air pressure

Air Water table

Water pushes air out of hole

Eventually hole fills with water to the level of the water table where water pressure=air pressure Unsaturated soil
(water pressure < air pressure)

Air

Saturated soil
(water pressure >air pressure)

Finding saturation in soils

Identifying saturation by looking for free water is easy to do in the field with pits or auger holes.

Onsite System
Gravity Slope
Hydraulic gradient

Saturated flow
Evaporation

Restrictions
Soil

Percolation

Well

Groundwater

Gradient

Darcys law
Flow (Q)/At = Ksat x dH/dL
Saturated Flow Ksat Slope Applications

Some approximate values of Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity & comments Ksat

(cm/s)

Ksat 14 7 0.7

Comments Typical of beach sand. Typical of very sandy soil, too rapid to effectively treat pollutants in wastewater. Typical of moderately permeable soils. Typical of fine-textured, compacted or poorly structured soils.
-5

(in/h)

1 x 10 5 x 10 5 x 10 5 x 10

-2 -3

-4

-5

0.07
-8

<1 x 10

<1.4 x 10

Extremely slow; typical of compacted clay. Ksat of 10-5 may be required where nearly impermeable material is needed.

Calculating Ksat
In lab process Double ring infiltrometer Amoozemeter reading Perc tests?
Double ring infiltrometer

Elevation 102 40 apart Elevation 98

Sand Ksat = 10 in/hr Q (1 sqft) = Slope x Ksat x Area = (102- 98)/ 40 x 10 in/hr x 1 sqft = 4/40 x 10 in/hr x 1sqft x ft/12 = .083 cuft/hr x 7.5 gal/cuft x 24 hr/day = 15 gpd per sqft

Calculation of Q
A = 1 ft2 Ksat = 10 in/hr Convert Ksat to ft/hr 10 in/hr X 1ft/12in = 0.83 ft/hr Gradient = dH/dL = (102-98)/40 = 4/40 = 0.1

Calculation of Q
Q = K x dH/dL x A = 0.83 ft/hr x 0.1 x 1 ft2 Q = 0.083 ft3/hr Calculate GPD 7.5 gal/ft3 x 0.083 ft3/hr x 24 hr/d 7.5 gal/ft3 x 0.083 ft3/hr x 24 hr/d Q = 15 gal/day

Lateral movement
Overall system issue Controlled by smallest window Related to:
Over all length Over all [Compounding] flow

Linear Loading Rate

Slope Considerations

Horizontal Flow

Bouma Study
Biomat = LTAR BUT Be Careful Relationship to biomat {crusting} rates Limits are different for sand:clay

Where the two flows meet

Trenches
Biomat: Flow control

Unsaturated zone
Separation Treatment

Mounding
Raising of saturated levels

Ground water
Saturated flow

Putting it together
Backfilled Soil Soil Surface Air Space Gravel Distribution Pipe

Wastewater

Saturated Zone

Water Flow Path

Unsaturated Zone NOT TO SCALE

Water Table or an Impermeable layer

Groundwater Mounding
What is it
The raising of the saturated zone above a restriction or watertable

Calculation?
Simple (Darcys law) Complex (e.g., Modflow)

Tough to apply The closer you are to the water the more important mounding becomes

Summary of Influences on System performance

Saturated conditions
Lack of treatment Preferential flow

Too high a LLR

Down slope surfacing [blow out]

Excessive biomat growth

Organic loading

Construction soil damage

Conclusions
Flow above/through the Biomat is saturated Flow into the soil from the biomat is unsaturated Biomat reduces/controls the flow from a system Flow is generally vertical More research is necessary

Hydrologic cycle
Precipitation Septic System

Well

Infiltration Evapotranspiration

Wastewater Input

Ground Water Mounding

Lat Runoff Slow er ly P al Flow erm eab l e lay er Deep Percolation Vadose Zone

Stream

Water Table Slow Moving Ground Water

Impermeable Layer

Homework
Questions Trench example
Calculate downward movement Lateral movement Biomat impacts

Darcys Law