Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 24, 2025

Soil Lysimeter Excavation for Coupled Hydrological, Geochemical, and Microbiological Investigations
Published on: September 11, 2016
Field and numerical evaluation of breakthrough suction effects in lysimeter design
Thierry Kahale1, Alexandre R Cabral1
1Department of Civil and Building Engineering, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada.
Lysimetry is key for assessing landfill cover percolation. This study found breakthrough suction significantly impacts lysimeter design, potentially improving percolation performance by over 90% when using the linear method.
Area of Science:
- Geotechnical Engineering
- Environmental Science
- Hydrology
Background:
- Lysimetry is the standard for measuring deep percolation in landfill final covers.
- Accurate lysimeter design requires laboratory testing and numerical modeling.
- Breakthrough suction is a critical boundary condition influencing lysimeter performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of breakthrough suction on lysimeter design.
- To analyze field data from a large-scale lysimeter at the St-Nicephore landfill.
- To assess and propose improvements to existing lysimeter design procedures.
Main Methods:
- Collected multi-year suction and seepage data using tensiometers and tipping counters.
- Simulated various geometry scenarios using HYDRUS-2D numerical modeling.
- Analyzed field data to validate numerical simulations.
Main Results:
- Breakthrough suction significantly affects lysimeter design.
- Lysimeters designed with the linear method and considering breakthrough suction achieved over 90% percolation performance.
- Climate change impacts on rainfall variability can influence percolation rate estimates.
Conclusions:
- Existing lysimeter design procedures were assessed.
- A simple and conservative approach for lysimeter design is proposed.
- Understanding breakthrough suction is crucial for effective lysimeter design and performance evaluation.
Related Concept Videos
Design Example: Creating a Hydraulic Model of a Dam Spillway
Typical Model Studies
Design Example: Analyzing Capacity Contours for Flood Risk Assessment
Design Example: Design of an Irrigation Channel

