ASSESSMENT OF CHANGES IN SOIL HYDRO-PHYSICAL PROPERTIES RESULTING FROM INFILTRATION OF MUDDY WATER

Infiltration is one of the process which greatly influences the partitioning of irrigation water (especially rainfall) into surface runoff and subsurface flow and continues to occupy the attention of soil physicists and engineers. Most infiltration studies assume clear water entering into uniform soil profiles, and have limited application to poorly structured soils due to slaking of aggregates and dispersion of clay. A laboratory column study was conducted to investigate the impacts of different suspended soil particles at different concentrations in infiltrating water on some soil properties. Substantial changes in the soil properties investigated were observed following the infiltration tests. These modifications were due to surface deposition and clogging of pores by the suspended soil sediments. It was also revealed that, at higher sediment concentrations, the levels of changes were high. Additionally, finer sediments were found to be highly effective in altering soil properties, even at low concentrations.