Changes in Total Dissolved Solids Concentration during Infiltration through Soils (Rain, Fresh Groundwater and Treated Wastewater)

Abstract

Water quality deterioration took place during infiltration process. Quality of the source water, climate conditions and amounts of added water are the major role players of the differentiation measures. Treated wastewater, rainwater and fresh groundwater were described within this study. It was found that the rainwater has an aggressive behavior with a high ability to dissolve soil salts. The amounts of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) increase with infiltration process. Electrical conductivity (EC) increased by 600%. Plotting the fresh groundwater to the same conditions and experiment reflects the ability of this water to dissolve soil salts and increase s the TDS by increasing the EC by a percentage of around 200%; while applying lower quality of water, the percentage of the EC of the treated wastewater increases to about 230% for the depth of 20 cm, which indicates the accumulation of the salts within this part of the soil, which leads to the deterioration of the soil quality, and decreases to about 160% for a depth of 60 cm. This differentiation could be a result of low permeability soils which tend to accumulate salts as a result of evaporation and then increase the salinity in the topsoil. Dissolution and plant uptake in the infiltrated take of minerals save the soil’s water from evaporation and do not allow salts to concentrate in soils. Moreover, plant uptake of soil water chemicals causes a decrease in some salt concentrations such as NO 3 , PO 4 , K, Na, and Cl and may conserve others.