Water repellency induced by organic matter (OM) in treated wastewater (TWW) infiltration ponds and irrigation

Abstract

Treated wastewater (TWW) irrigation is being largely applied to soils in semiarid and arid regions around the world that are subjected to a shortage of freshwater (FW) resources. This research dealt with effects of TWW irrigation on water infiltration, retention and distribution in soils. Long-term TWW irrigation was found to alter physico-chemical properties of soils due to accumulation of organic matter (OM) originating from the applied TWW and may result to soil water repellency (SWR). This research dealt with two aspects of the problem: (1) SWR in TWW-irrigated soils and (2) SWR in infiltration basins (tertiary treatment) of wastewater. Significant SWR was found in these two systems involving utilization of TWW.