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Short-Term Sustainability of Drainage Water Reuse: Spatio-Temporal Impacts on Soil Chemical Properties

^a USDA-ARS, United States Salinity Lab., 450 West Big Springs Road, Riverside, CA 92507-4617
^b Dep. of Environmental Sciences, Univ. of California, Riverside, CA 92521
^c Dep. of Environmental Sciences, Univ. of California, Riverside, CA 92521
^d Dep. of Plant Sciences, One Shields Avenue, Univ. of California, Davis, CA 95616-8780. The citation of particular products or companies is for the convenience of the reader and does not imply any endorsement, guarantee, or preferential treatment by the U.S. Department of Agriculture

^* Corresponding author (Dennis.Corwin{at}ars.usda.gov).

Received for publication March 21, 2007. Greater urban demand for finite water resources, increased frequency of drought resulting from erratic weather, and increased pressure to reduce drainage water volumes have intensified the need to reuse drainage water. A study was initiated in 1999 on a 32.4-ha saline-sodic field (Lethent clay loam series; fine, montmorillonitic, thermic, Typic Natrargid) located on the west side of California's San Joaquin Valley (WSJV) with the objective of evaluating the sustainability of drainage water reuse with respect to impact on soil quality. An evaluation after 5 yr of irrigation with drainage water is presented. Geo-referenced measurements of apparent soil electrical conductivity (EC_a) were used to direct soil sampling at 40 sites to characterize the spatial variability of soil properties (i.e., salinity, Se, Na, B, and Mo) crucial to the soil's intended use of growing Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon (l.) Pers.) for livestock consumption. Soil samples were taken at 0.3-m increments to a depth of 1.2 m at each site in August 1999, April 2002, and November 2004. Drainage water varying in salinity (0.8–16.2 dS m^–1), SAR (5.4–52.4), Mo (80–400 µg L^–1), and Se (<1–700 µg L^–1) was applied to the field since July 2000. An analysis of the general temporal trend shows that overall soil quality has improved due to leaching of B from the top 0.6 m of soil; salinity and Na from the top 1.2 m, but primarily from 0 to 0.6 m; and Mo from the top 1.2 m. Short-term sustainability of drainage water reuse is supported by the results.

Abbreviations: EC_a, apparent soil electrical conductivity • EC_e, electrical conductivity of the saturation extract (dS m^–1) • EC_dw, electrical conductance of the applied drainage water (dS m^–1) • EM, electromagnetic induction • EM_h, electromagnetic induction measured in the horizontal soil configuration • EM_v, electromagnetic induction measured in the vertical coil configuration • SAR, sodium adsorption ratio • WSJV, western San Joaquin Valley