INFILTRATION AND

PERCOLATION
INFILTRATION
-The passage of liquid water through the soil surface is
termed as infiltration.
- process by which water on the ground surface enters
the soil.
INFILTRATION RATE
• Infiltration rate is a measure of the temporal
rate at which soil is able to absorb rainfall
or irrigation.
• It is most often measured in millimeters per hour
or inches per hour.
• The rate decreases as the soil becomes
saturated.
INFILTRATION CAPACITY
The maximum rate at which
-

water under given conditions,

can enter the soil through the
surface is called infiltration
capacity.
PERCOLATION RATE
• The rate, usually expressed as a velocity, at
which water moves through saturated granular
material. The term is also applied to quantity per
unit of time of such movement, and has been
used erroneously to designate Infiltration Rate
or Infiltration Capacity.
PERCOLATION CAPACITY

-It is defined as the rate at

which water penetrates
through the soil profile
• If the precipitation rate exceeds the infiltration
rate, runoff will usually occur unless there is
some physical barrier.
• It is related to the saturated hydraulic
conductivity of the near-surface soil. The rate of
infiltration can be measured using
an infiltrometer.
INFILTROMETER
• a device used to measure the rate of water
infiltration into soil or other porous media. Commonly
used infiltrometers:
▫ single-ring - infiltrometer involves driving a ring into the soil
and supplying water in the ring either at constant head or
falling head condition
▫ double-ring – infiltrometer requires two rings: an inner and
outer ring. The purpose is to create a one-dimensional flow
of water from the inner ring, as the analysis of data is
simplified.
▫ disc permeameters - a field instrument used for measuring
water infiltration in the soil, which is characterized by in situ
saturated and unsaturated soil hydraulic properties
 single-ring

double ring

disc permeameters
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.

• Base flow: To varying degrees, the water in streams

have a sustained flow, even during periods of lack of
rain. Much of this "base flow" in streams comes from
groundwater seeping into the bed and banks of the
stream.
• 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 become surface runoff.

• 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
of evapotranspiration, water is moved back into
the atmosphere.
PERCOLATION
• Passage of liquid water through the soil profile is called
percolation.

• refers to the movement and filtering of fluids through

porous materials.

• The process of the downward movement of water in

the unsaturated zone under the influence of gravity and
hydraulic forces.

• Percolation is a process and relates to the downward

migration of water in the unsaturated zone; not to be
confused with infiltration.
WHY ARE INFITRATION AND
PERCOLATION IMPORTANT?
• INFILTRATION
▫ The soil is a pool that stores water for the growth of a plant.
The water in it is replenished by infiltration. The rate of
infiltration can be limited by poor soil management. A soil
that is in poor condition does not allow water to enter the
soil, and it flows downslope as runoff.
▫ A prolonged runoff can lead to poor water storage in the
soil for plants to grow. It can also lead to soil erosion, which
carries away sediments, organic matter and nutrients from
the soil to the streams, lakes, and rivers.
▫ Runoff from neighboring slopes can also soak soils in
lowlands or create ponded areas, thereby killing upland
plants. Evaporation in ponded areas can lower the quantity
of water for vegetables.
• PERCOLATION
▫ Percolation is the process by which water and
contaminants move downwards to
the groundwater system.