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Effect of Cattle Feedyard Runoff on Soil Infiltration Rates¹

ABSTRACT

A compact clay soil from a playa lake and a relatively porous, blocky, buried soil, both representative of feedyard runoff holding basins in the Texas High Plains, were treated with clear ground water and synthesized feedyard runoff. Infiltration rates were measured by using constant heads of liquid on undisturbed laboratory cores and in field basins.

Infiltration rates of clear water in both the cores and the basins stabilized at approximately 0.1 cm/hour for the clay and 5.0 cm/hour for the buried soil for test runs up to 60 days. Addition of feedyard runoff markedly lowered infiltration rates in both soils within a few hours, and the rates were <0.006 cm/hour after 2 to 3 weeks. However, initial infiltration rates were restored to the buried soil basin treated with runoff by removing the surface 2 cm of soil and applying clear water. The results from this study, and numerous others, strongly suggest that relatively concentrated feedyard runoff will effectively seal many soils. The study also indicates that the primary sealing effects occur within a few centimeters of the surface.

Key Words: holding ponds • ground-water pollution • laboratory cores • field basins

¹ Contribution of the Agricultural Research Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture, in cooperation with The Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, Texas A&M University.

² Soil Scientist, presently located at USDA Water Quality Management Laboratory, Durant, Oklahoma 74701, and Agricultural Engineer, USDA Southwestern Great Plains Research Center, Bushland, Texas 79012.