Undistributed core method for determining and evaluating the hydraulic conductivity of unsaturated sediments

Elzeftawy, Atef; Cartwright, Keros

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/91632 Copy

Description

Title

Undistributed core method for determining and evaluating the hydraulic conductivity of unsaturated sediments

Author(s)

• Elzeftawy, Atef
• Cartwright, Keros

Contributor(s)

• Illinois State Geological Survey
• Engelhart, Julie

Issue Date

1983-04-01

Keyword(s)

• Groundwater
• Aquifers
• Water resource development
• Water resource development--Illinois
• Unsaturated hydraulic conductivity
• Soil water
• Matching factor
• Permeability
• Soil water potential
• Water retention

Abstract

This paper describes a new method developed to predict the transport of moisture and contaminants in soils. Study results indicate that this method could help simplify evaluation of municipal and industrial waste disposal sites for their potential environmental impact. Saturated and unsaturated hydraulic conductivities of several Illinois soils, calculated on the basis of pore size distribution, were shown to predict reliably the experimentally measured laboratory valhes. For coarse-textured soil materials and materials with a relatively narrow range of pore size, only one matching factor was required to calculate the hydraulic conductivity-water content relation accurately enough for many purposes; however, for finetextured soil materials with a wide range of pore size distribution, two or more matching factors at a water content in the 0.3 to 0.4 bar range may be needed to obtain a useful evaluation for the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity.

Publisher

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Water Resources Center

Type of Resource

text

Language

English

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/91632

Sponsor(s)/Grant Number(s)

• U.S. Department of the Interior
• U.S. Geological Survey

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 1983 Atef Elzeftawy, Keros Cartwright

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