Reclamation of salt-affected land by total ponding with drainage: Numerical simulations for different soils and different drainage system configurations

P.H.T. Nguyen, R.P. Chapuis, L. Millette

In the proceedings of: GeoEdmonton 2018: 71st Canadian Geotechnical Conference; 13th joint with IAH-CNC

Session: Contaminant Hydrogeology 

ABSTRACT: In agricultural areas, reclamation of salt-affected lands can be done with a total ponding method with drainage. This involves ponding water over the soil surface and leaching salts from the root zone towards an underground drainage system. In this paper, this method is tested using numerical simulations for sands, non-plastic silts and non-swelling, fine-grained soils with low plasticity. The numerical solutions approximate the treatment duration depending on chosen restoration objectives, hydraulic conductivity of soils and configuration of the drainage system (depth, spacing). They assume an absence of organic matter and neglect adsorption and diffusion, which exposes their limitations.

RÉSUMÉ: En zone agricole, la restauration de sols salins peut se faire avec une méthode par inondation totale avec drainage. Ceci signifie dinonder la surface du sol pour lessiver les sels de la zone racinaire vers un système de drainage souterrain. Dans cet article, cette méthode est testée en utilisant des simulations numériques pour les sables, les silts non plastiques et les sols fins peu plastiques et non gonflants. Les solutions numériques approximent la durée du traitement en fonction des objectifs de restauration choisis, de la conductivité hydraulique du sol et de la configuration du système de drainage (profondeur, espacement). Elles supposent une absence de matière organique et négligent l'adsorption et la diffusion, ce qui expose leurs limites.

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Cite this article:
P.H.T. Nguyen; R.P. Chapuis; L. Millette (2018) Reclamation of salt-affected land by total ponding with drainage: Numerical simulations for different soils and different drainage system configurations in GEO2018. Ottawa, Ontario: Canadian Geotechnical Society.

@article{geo2018Paper425,author = P.H.T. Nguyen; R.P. Chapuis; L. Millette,title = Reclamation of salt-affected land by total ponding with drainage: Numerical simulations for different soils and different drainage system configurations,year = 2018}