The Saturation and Flow of Rainfall through the Soil of the Owl Canyon Watershed

Overview

Objectives/Goals To calculate how much water Owl Canyon soil could hold, and compare this with how much water it does hold once saturated with autumn and winter rains. Also to observe increases and decreases in canyon water flow after periods of rainfall. Methods/Materials I calculaterd the approximate amount of rain needed to saturate canyon soil and begin flow by multiplying the average soil depth by the ratio of saturation water volume to soil volume. I determined the average top soil depth by driving a rod into the soil in many places in the canyon. I determined the saturation ratio by pouring measured amounts of water through soil core samples and collecting the drainage. I measured rainfall and canyon water flow. Results I calculated that it would take 11.25 cm of rainfall to saturate the soil. I observed that it actually took 13 cm. My flow observations show that within a day after a rain, flow reaches its peak(as great as 23.6 liters/sec). It then decreases by 1 to 2 liters/sec each day, until it drops to 2 liters/sec. After that it decreases by only .3liters/sec each day. Conclusions/Discussion I was able to predict within 10% how much water the Owl Canyon soil can hold. I was able to compare flows with periods of rainfall, and observe trends.

Awards (1)

• Category Award

Competition history

• CSEF 2002 Earth Sciences/ Planetary Sciences/ Physical Environments · Entry J0604

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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