Chapter Four: INFILTRATION

Infiltration Process

Factors affecting infiltration

Measurement of infiltration

Estimation of infiltration rates

 INFILTRATION
• Infiltration is the process of water entry into a soil from rainfall, or
irrigation.
• It is a major loss of precipitation, affecting runoff of a basin by
magnitude, timing and distribution.
• It is responsible for the growth and nourishment of life on earth.
• Percolation is the process of water flow from root zone to deep
groundwater within the soil vertically downward.

• Infiltration rate (f) is the rate at which the water actually infiltrates
through the soil during a storm or f is infiltration rate at any time t from
the beginning of rainfall.

• Infiltration capacity ( fc ) : the maximum rate at which a given soil

at a given time can absorb water.
 INFILTRATION
• The actual rate of infiltration, f must be equal

• the infiltration capacities of the soil, fc or

• the rainfall rate, I,

f = fc , when i >= fc or f = I , when i < fc

• The infiltration capacity of a soil is high at the beginning of a
storm and decreases exponetionally as a time elapse.
 FACTORS AFFECTING INFILTRATION
• condition of the land surface (cracked, crusted, compacted)
• Vegetation cover,
• surface soil characteristics
• (grain size & gradation),
• storm characteristics
• (intensity, duration & magnitude),

• Soil moisture and ,

• Physical and chemical properties of the water and soil.

– The turbidity of water, susspended particles block the pores
and reduce infiltrations and temperature affect the viscosity of
water.
 MEASUREMENT OF INFILTRATION
• Information about the infiltration characteristics of the soil in a
given location can be obtained by conducting controlled
experiment on small areas.
• The experimental set up is called an infiltrometer.
• Infiltration is a very complex process, which can vary temporally
and spatially.
• Based on Spatial dimensions of the factors can categorize
infiltration measurement techniques as
– Areal Infiltration
• Estimation is accomplished by analysis of rainfall‐runoff
data from a watershed.
• The infiltration volume is obtained by subtracting runoff
volume from rainfall volume.
 MEASUREMENT OF INFILTRATION

–Point infiltration
• Measurements are normally made by applying
water at a specific site to a finite area and
measuring the intake of the soil.
• From different types of infiltrometer pounded‐
water ring or cylinder type is commonly used
now a days.
.
Single and Double ring
Infiltrometers
 Limitation of Infiltrometers

Single Ring Double Ring

1. The pounding of the infiltrometer into the ground deforms the soil causing
cracks and increasing the measured infiltration capacity.
2. Natural rainfall have there own terminal velocity. Also natural droplet sizes
differ with different types of storms. Pouring water from a measuring cup
however loses this nature.
3. Size of infiltrometer affect the rate of infiltration
Empirical Method
• 1. Horton infiltration:
– In general, for a given constant storm, infiltration rates tend to
decrease with time.
– Horton observed these facts and concluded that infiltration
begins at some rate fo maximum value and exponentially decreases
until it reaches a constant fc.
– He proposed the following infiltration equation where rainfall
intensity i greater than fp at all times.
 …Horton infiltration
• Note that infiltration takes place at capacity rates only when the
intensity of rainfall i equals or exceeds fp
– f =fp when i ≥ fp,
– but when i < fp, f < fp and f = i.
• The cumulative infiltration equation F(t) for the Horton method
is found from the relationship :

K = (fo – fc) / (F - fc)

 Example 4.1

• Assuming the initial infiltration rate of

10 mm/hr , final infiltration rate of 5
mm/hr and the constant value
(describing the rate of decay of the
difference b/n the initial and final
infiltration rates) as 0.95h‐1 , calculate
the total infiltration depth from a storm
lasting 6hr.
 2. The ɸ-index method

• The ɸ‐index is the simplest method and is calculated

by finding infiltration as a difference between gross rainfall
and observed surface runoff. The initial loss is also
considered as infiltration. Initial losses or the interception
and depression storage are small in magnitude:.
• The ɸ‐index method assumes that the loss is uniformly
distributed across the rainfall pattern or constant
infiltration capacity.
 Example 4.2

• A catchment of area 0.25 km2 is

subjected to a storm with the following
profile.
Time, hr 1 2 3 4 5 6
Rain, mm 7 18 25 12 10 3

If the volume of the storm runoff is

8250m3, estimate the ᶲ - index.
 Example 4.3

• Estimate ɸ‐index of the catchment having an

area 2.26 km2.The observed runoff caused by the
rainfall given in the table below is 282,097 m3.
Plot the RF histogram and mark the ɸ‐index on
the plot.
Time, hr 0 to 2 2 to 5 5 to 7 7 to 10 10 to 12
Intensity, mm/hr 35.6 58.4 27.9 17.8 7.6
 W - index
• This index is considered as an improvement over ɸ-
index in the sense that surface storage and
interception losses are considered in its computation. It
is defined as the average rate of infiltration which is
equal to the rate of precipitation minus surface runoff
and retention during time t and is expressed as:
W – index = (P – R – Ia) / te
Where, P = total storm precipitation (cm)
R = total storm runoff (cm)
I a = initial losses (cm)
Te = elapsed time period (hr)
• The w-index is more accurate than the φ-index because
it subtracts initial losses, but during heavy and longer
storms, initial losses is approximately zero then w –
index and ɸ-index become the same.
 W – index …
• The ᶲ -index method gives better
estimate when losses is calculated after
heavy rainfall and the soil profile is
saturated.
• The method assumes a constant
average infiltration rate during a storm,
although in actual practice the
infiltration will be varying with time.