SUBSURFACE WATER

• It is relatively free of pollution

• Useful for domestic use in small towns and isolated farms.

• Some regions, it is the only reliable sources of water irrigation.

OCCURRENCE OF SUBSURFACE WATER
Vadose Zone

• It is located above the water table,

• Soil pores may contain either air or water;

• It is sometimes called zone of aeration.

Phreatic Zone

• It is located below the water table,

• Interstices are filled with water;

• It is sometimes called zone of saturation,

• It may extend to considerable depth, but as depth increases, the weight of

overburden tends to close pore spaces and relatively little water is found at

depths greater then 3 kilometer.

MOISTURE IN VADOSE ZONE
1. Soil Water
• The region penetrated by roots of vegetation, ranging to 10 m below the soil

surface.

• Which fluctuates in amount of vegetation removes moisture between rains.

2. Capillary Fringe

• Vertical extent of several centimeters to about a meter depending on the

pore sizes of the materials.

3. Intermediate Region

• It is where moisture levels are constant at the field capacity of the soil and

rock of the region.

SOIL-WATER RELATIONSHIP

Soil moisture may be present as gravity water in transit in the larger pore spaces, as
capillary water in the smaller pores
Buckingham – capillary potential is related to the acceleration of gravity and

height above datum.

EQUILIBRIUM POINTS

1. Field Capacity
• defined as the moisture content of soil after gravity drainage is complete.

2. Wilting Point

• Represents the soil-moisture level when plants cannot extract water from

soil.

• It is the moisture held at a tension equivalent to the osmotic pressure in

the plant roots.

MEASUREMENT OF SOIL MOISTURE
The standard determination of soil moisture is the loss in weight when a soil sample

is oven - dried

Typical moisture values for various soil types

Tensiometer
• Consists of a porous ceramic cup which is inserted in the soil, filled with water, and

connected to a manometer

• It remains equilibrium with the soil.

• If the soil moisture falls below saturation, water is drawn from the cup and a

negative pressure is indicated by the manometer.

• Can indicate soil-moisture tension from saturation to a tension of about 100 kPa
Resistivity Method

• A pair of electrodes embedded in a porous dielectric (plaster of paris,

nylon, Fiberglass) is buried in the soil.

• Resistance is measured with an alternating current bridge to avoid

polarizing the element.

• Calibration is best achieved by taking periodic soil samples from the area

surrounding the installation and correlating moisture content of the

samples with concurrent resistivity readings.

Aerial observation of natural gamma radiation from the soil may prove useful in

determining soil-moisture variations over large areas. Satellite observations are also able

to detect soil moisture levels.

MOVEMENT OF SOIL MOISTURE
INFILTRATION

• The movement of water through soil surface into the soil as distinguished from

percolation, the movement of water through the soil.

• Infiltration from rainfall usually occurs with very shallow depths of water on the

soil surface.
Movement of moisture in soil is governed by the moisture potential following the equation:

𝜕𝐴
𝑞 = −𝐾
𝜕𝑥

States that flow is from region of high potential to a region of lower potential. Conductivity

increases with moisture content and decreases with pore size. Thus capillary movement

decreases as soil dries and is least in fine-grained soil.