Observations on Water Content Changes in Stratified Sediments During Pit Rechargea, b

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Abstract
Two pit recharge tests were conducted at an instrumented research site near Tucson, Arizona using cooling tower blowdown effluent from a nearby power plant. The first trial in 1966 consisted of 142 days of continuous inundation. The second test in 1968, comprised 15 wet‐dry cycles with a total inundation time of 80 days. Quantities recharged by the two management techniques were contrasted. Water content profiles, obtained via a “moisture logger” in 14 access wells, clearly delineated two principal zones of water transmission on mounds within stratified materials of the 80 ft zone of aeration at the site. During the continuous inundation test three stages were apparent in the history of these mounds: growth stage, equilibrium stage and drainage stage. It was possible to relate these various stages to intake characteristics of the pit. The development of models to characterize recharge within the zone of aeration in areas of the Tucson basin with geological controls similar to those at the recharge site, should accommodate the three stages in the history of mound development and dissipation.