[Soil salinity in greenland irrigated with reclaimed water and risk assessment]

Compared to drinking water or groundwater, reclaimed water contains more salts. Therefore, the effects of application of reclaimed water on the soil salinity have received great attentions. To evaluate the potential risks posed by long-term reclaimed water irrigation, we collected surface soil samples from urban green lands and suburban farmlands of Beijing represented different irrigation durations. The electrical conductivity (EC) and sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) in soils were measured subsequently. Both EC1:5 and SAR1.5 from the green land and farmland soils irrigated with reclaimed water were significantly higher than those of control treatments (drinking water or groundwater irrigation). The EC1:5 values increased by 12.4% and 84.2% than control treatments in the greenland and farmland, respectively. The SAR1:5 values increased by 64.5% and 145.8% than control treatments, respectively. No significant differences of both EC1:5 and SAR1:5 were found between of 0-10 cm and 10-20 cm soil layer. A slight decrease of soil porosity was observed. The field investigation suggested there was a high potential of soil salinization under long-term reclaimed water irrigation. Proper management practices should be implemented to minimize the soil salinity accumulation risk when using reclaimed water for irrigation in Beijing.