INFILTRATION

SAN ANTONIO, ANGELA MAE A.

BSCE IV-A

INFILTRATI
ON

water entering the soil at the ground

surface
It replenishes the soil moisture deficiency
and the excess moves downward by the
force of gravity called deep seepage or
percolation and builds up the ground
water table.
a surface process by which water on the
ground surface enters thesoil. However,
some of the infiltration does not go down
and become groundwater and it simply

 The maximum rate at which the soil

at any given condition is capable of
absorbing water
is called its
infiltration capacity (fp).
Infiltration (f) often begins at a
high
rate
(20-25
cm/hr)
and
decreases to a fairly steady state
rate (fc) as the rain continues, called
the ultimate capacity(fp = 1.25 to
2.0 cm/hr).

 The infiltration rate (f) at any time t

is given by the Hortons equation.

INFILTRATION CURVE
(HORTON)

As water moves in, air must either

escape, or be compressed below the
infiltrating water.
Generally air
escapes through larger pores, which
slows the infiltration. Sometimes you
see bubbles in puddles while its
raining.
If the precipitation rate exceeds the
infiltration
rate,runoffwill
usually
occur unless there is some physical
barrier.
It
is
related
to
the
saturatedhydraulic conductivityof

 The rate of infiltration can be

measured
using
an
infiltrometer.
Infiltration
rateinsoil
scienceis a measure of the rate
at which soil is able to
absorbrainfallorirrigation. It is
measured in inches per hour or
millimeters per hour. The rate
decreases as the soil becomes

 In dry soil, water infiltrates rapidly. This is

called theinitial infiltrationrate. As
more water replaces the air in the pores,
the water from the soil surface infiltrates
more slowly and eventually reaches a
steady
rate.
This
is
called
the
basicinfiltration rate.
The infiltration rate depends on soil texture
(the size of the soil particles) and soil
structure (the arrangement of the soil
particles): and is a useful way of
categorizing soils from an irrigation point of
view.

PROCESS OF INFILTRATION
The process of infiltration can continue only if there
is room available for additional water at the soil
surface. The available volume for additional water in
the soil depends on the porosity of the soiland the
rate at which previously infiltrated water can move
away from the surface through the soil. The
maximum rate that water can enter a soil in a given
condition is the infiltration capacity. If the arrival
of the water at the soil surface is less than the
infiltration
capacity,
is
sometimes
analyzed
usinghydrology transport models, mathematicsl
models that consider infiltration, runoff and channel
flow to predict river flow rates and streamwater
quality.

IMPORTANCE OF INFILTRATION:

Soil water recharge (e.g., for plants)

Groundwater recharge
River baseflow
Erosion (water that doesnt infiltrate
runs off)
Flooding
Contaminant movement

FACTORS AFFECTING INFILTRATION

Precipitation
The
greatest
factor
controlling
infiltration
is
the
amount
and
characteristics (intensity, duration, etc.)
of precipitation that falls as rain or snow.
Precipitation that infiltrates into the
ground often seeps into streambeds over
an extended period of time, thus a stream
will often continue to flow when it hasn't
rained for a long time and where there is
no direct runoff from recent precipitation.

 Soil characteristics
Some soils, such as
clays, absorb less water
at a slower rate than
sandy
soils.
Soils
absorbing
less
water
result in more runoff
overland into streams.

Soil saturation
Like a wet sponge, soil already saturated
from previous rainfall can't absorb much
more
...
thus
more
rainfall
will
becomesurface runof.

 Land cover
Some land covers have a great impact on
infiltration and rainfall runoff. Vegetation can
slow the movement of runoff, allowing more
time for it to seep into the ground. Impervious
surfaces, such as parking lots, roads, and
developments, act as a "fast lane" for rainfall right into storm drains that drain directly into
streams. Agriculture and the tillage of land also
changes the infiltration patterns of a landscape.
Water that, in natural conditions, infiltrated
directly into soil now runs off into streams.

 Slope of the land

Water falling on
steeply-sloped
land
runs off more quickly
and infiltrates less
than water falling on
flat
land.
Evapotranspiration
Some infiltration stays near the land
surface, which is where plants put
down their roots. Plants need this
shallow groundwater to grow, and, by
the
process
ofevapotranspiration,
water is moved back into the

INSTRUMENTS FOR MEASURING

INFILTRATION
Double
ring
infiltrometer
The
double
ring
infiltrometer is a simple
instrument that is used
to determine the rate of
infiltration of water into
the soil.
The rate of infiltration
is determined as the
amount of water per
surface area and time
unit, that penetrates the
soil. This rate can be
calculated on the basis of

1. The two rings (22.5 to 90 cm diameter) are

driven into the ground by a driving plate and
hammer, to penetrate into the soil uniformly
without tilt or undue disturbance of the soil
surface to a depth of 15 cm.
2. After driving is over, any disturbed soil adjacent
to the sides tamped with a metal tamper. Point
gauges are fixed in the center of the rings and in
the annular space between the two rings.

3. Water is poured into the rings to maintain the

desired depth (2.5 to 15 cm with a minimum of
5mm) and the water added to maintain the original
constant depth at regular time intervals (after the
commencement of the experiment) of 5, 10, 20, 30,
40, 60 min, etc. up to a period of at least 6 hours is
noted and the results are plotted as infiltration rate
in cm/hr. versus time in minutes.

 The purpose of the outer tube is to eliminate to

some extent the edge effect of the surrounding
drier soil and to prevent the water within the
inner space from spreading over a larger area
after penetrating below the bottom of the ring.

Thank You
Prepared by:
San Antonio, Angela Mae A.
BSCE IV-A