Mr. Balks et al., EFFECTS OF SODIUM ACCUMULATION ON SOIL PHYSICAL-PROPERTIES UNDER AN EFFLUENT-IRRIGATED PLANTATION, Australian Journal of Soil Research, 36(5), 1998, pp. 821-830
Effluent irrigation commonly results in increased soil sodicity, becau
se of the medium-to-high salinity and high sodium concentrations of ma
ny effluents. The exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) of soils at the
Wagga Wagga Effluent Plantation Project increased from <2% to >25% at
some depths within the surface 0.6 m of soil, after 5 seasons of irri
gation with either (i) treated sewage effluent or (ii) bore water with
similar salinity and sodium adsorption ratio (SAR). A survey of dispe
rsion index (DI) and saturated hydraulic conductivity (K-sat) was carr
ied out to investigate the effects of increased soil sodicity on soil
physical properties. The K-sat was measured after 5 irrigation seasons
at 2 depth intervals (0.15-0.45 m and 0.5-0.8 m) using both bore wate
r and distilled water, and compared with measurements made at the same
sites using bore water before irrigation commenced. Both DI and ESP w
ere measured at each of 3 depths in the surface 0.6 m of soil. The DI
in distilled water was positively correlated with ESP, with finer soil
textures having higher DI for the same ESP. When measured in bore wat
er or effluent, DI was very low and not related to ESP. K-sat was sign
ificantly lower after 5 irrigation seasons, and significantly lower in
distilled water than in bore water. However, there was no relationshi
p between Ksat and ESP. It was concluded that the increased ESP caused
an increased tendency for soil dispersion but was not shown unequivoc
ally to lead to decreased K-sat. The increased sodicity does not seem
likely to affect continued use of the land for effluent irrigation, bu
t may affect its suitability for alternative uses that involve physica
l disturbance of the soil, for example, by cultivation.