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REDOXIMORPHIC FEATURES ASSOCIATED WITH LONG-TERM OCCURRENCE OF FREE-WATER IN AN UPLAND SOIL

Published by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, St. Joseph, Michigan www.asabe.org

Citation:  Pp. 87-96 in On-Site Wastewater Treatment, Proc. Ninth Natl. Symp. on Individual and Small Community Sewage Systems (11-14 March 2001, Fort Worth, Texas, USA), ed. K. Mancl., St. Joseph, Mich. ASAE  701P0009.(doi:10.13031/2013.6075)
Authors:   P. R. Owens, E.M. Rutledge, M.A. Gross. S.C. Osier, R.W. McNew
Keywords:   Water table fluctuations, Water Table, Loading influences

Redoximorphic features (RMF) are used as estimates for predicting soil hydrology. There have been many past studies relating RMF's to the presence of free-water. Most of these studies were less than five years and mostly compared colors with chroma < 2. This study will look at free-water occurrence related to RMF's with chroma < 2, chroma > 2, and Fe-Mn nodules. The objective of this research is to relate various RMF's of a fine-silty, siliceous, mesic Aquic Hapludult to the occurrence of free-water using eleven years data. Three sets of wells and piezometers were installed and each set contained one well and two piezometers from 53 to 175 cm deep for a total of nine sampling points. Within a well set, the wells were spaced 60 cm apart and the sets were spaced from 6 to 18 m apart. This soil had three different types of RMF's: Fe-Mn nodules only, RMF's chroma > 2, and RMF's chroma < 2 and were grouped accordingly to compare the percent occurrence of free-water. The Fe-Mn horizon had an average free-water occurrence of 5 + 4% of the observations. Horizons with RMF's chroma > 2 had an average of 16 + 6%. Finally, the horizons with RMF's chroma < 2 had an average of 40 + 6% occurrence of free-water for eleven years data. These data suggest that any RMF should be considered to be an indicator of a seasonal water table, and the frequency and duration of the water table will be related to the intensity of the RMF that is expressed. These data showed that free-water occurred in all horizons which contained redoximorphic features. Although all or some of these RMF's could have formed under a different moisture regime, the frequency of free-water occurrence agrees well with the intensity of the RMF. This paper and other studies suggests that all redoximorphic features should be used to estimate soil hydrology for septic tank filter field design.

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