Abstract
Abstract. Deep percolation enhancement from recycled wastewater irrigation may contribute to salt accumulation and water table elevation that can ultimately cause soil and ground water degradation. Variation of drainage rate and solute leaching were investigated in an urban park containing heterogeneous landscape plants that were irrigated with recycled wastewater. Field monitoring was undertaken at Veale Gardens in the Adelaide Parklands, Australia. Based on landscape variation in Veale Gardens, two landscape zones were defined: one being largely covered with turf grasses with few trees and shrubs (MG) with the second zone being mostly trees and shrubs with intermittent turf grasses (MT). Experiments were performed on two zero-tension lysimeters placed horizontally 100 cm below ground to monitor the variation of volume and quality indicators of drained water for four seasons. The outcomes showed a significant variation of drainage quantity and quality in the MT and MG zones. The low vegetation cover in the MG zone resulted in more drained water than in the high vegetation cover (MT zone). In both zones, more drainage water was collected in winter than in other seasons. This is in spite of the input water showing a maximum rate in summer. The seasonal salinities measured in the two lysimeters showed very similar trends with the lowest salinity rate in autumn with the levels increasing through winter and spring. Chemical analyses of leachate solute and salt loading indicated no impact from using recycled wastewater.
Highlights
It is of interest to study drainage rates and solute transfers beyond the effective plant root zone since this can help in understanding the soil water balance status, availability of nutrients in the leachate as well as the risk of nutrient loading to the ground water
There were two types of vegetation cover on the site consisting of areas dominated by grasses and areas dominated by a mixture of different species of trees and shrubs accompanied by grasses
This study has examined the variation of drainage quantity and quality in a heterogeneous urban vegetation environment
Summary
It is of interest to study drainage rates and solute transfers beyond the effective plant root zone since this can help in understanding the soil water balance status, availability of nutrients in the leachate as well as the risk of nutrient loading to the ground water. Research evaluating drainage quantity and quality in urban mixed landscapes vegetation is limited. The impact of available soil water sampling systems on vadose zone behaviour increases the uncertainty in selecting a representative sample (Peters and Durner, 2009). This is even more problematic in mixed vegetation urban green spaces (Nouri et al, 2012). High spatial and temporal variability of vegetation species, canopy covers
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