Predicting saturated hydraulic conductivity from percolation test results in layered silt loam soils

The objectives of the study discussed in this article were to develop an empirical relationship between the saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) of layered soils and their percolation times (PT) in order to understand the influence of individual layers and compare this with the equations developed by Winneberger (1974) and Fritton, Ratvasky, and Petersen (1986). Field research was conducted on three silt loam soils. Six holes were spaced evenly in two parallel rows of three holes. The Ks was measured at three different layers for each soil using a constant head well permeameter. After completion of the second Ks measurement, the percolation test was conducted. Three linear equations for the upper, middle, and lower layers were developed between the Ks values of each individual layer in all three sites and the corresponding PT. Significant differences were found between the author's results and those predicted by Winneberger (1974) and Fritton and co-authors (1986).