G.W. Gee, P.J. Wierenga, B.J. Andraski, M.H. Young,
M.J. Fayer, and M.L. Rockhold
ABSTRACT
Radioactive and hazardous waste landfills exist at numerous desert
locations in the USA. At these locations, annual precipitation is low
and soils are generally dry, yet little is known about recharge of water
and transport of contaminants to the water table. Recent water balance
measurements made at three desert locations, Las Cruces, NM, Beatty, NV,
and the U.S. Department of Energy's Hanford Site in the state of
Washington, provide information on recharge potential under three
distinctly different climate and soil conditions. All three sites show
water storage increases with time when soils are coarse textured and
plants are removed from the surface, the rate of increase being
influenced by climatic variables such as precipitation, radiation,
temperature, and wind. Lysimeter data from Hanford and Las Cruces
indicate that deep drainage (recharge) from bare, sandy soils can range
from 10 to >50% of the annual precipitation. At Hanford, when desert
plants are present on sandy or gravelly surface soils, deep drainage is
reduced but not eliminated. When surface soils are silt loams, deep
drainage is eliminated whether plants are present or not. At Las Cruces
and Beatty, the presence of plants eliminated deep drainage at the
measurement sites. Differences in water balance between sites are
attributed to precipitation quantity and distribution and to soil and
vegetation types. The implication for waste management at desert
locations is that surface soil properties and plant characteristics must
be considered in waste site design in order to minimize recharge
potential.
This abstract was part of an article published in the Soil Science Society of America
Journal, v. 58, p. 63-72.