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Monitoring infiltration under a real on-site treatment system of domestic wastewater and evaluation of soil transfer function (Paris Basin, France)

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Abstract

The problem of evacuation of treated domestic wastewater has been investigated through a field study on a real undrained on-site treatment system (UOSTS). This system imposes a special mode of infiltration into the soil which is irregular. To characterize the hydraulic properties of this type of flow, soil texture, organic matter content and in situ saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) were measured for each 15 m2 of soil under the bottom of the UOSTS. In addition, the variation of water table and rainfall and the evolution of soil moisture and matrix potential were monitored using the sensors implanted under the system. The mean of the measured Ks is 100 times higher than values deduced from empirical pedotransfer functions based on the soil matrix properties. The measured Ks varies greatly in the 15 m2 area. Moreover, large and variable quantities of stone fragments (>2 mm) were found in the soil samples. These results suggest that a heterogeneous flow may occur in the stony soil via the macropores which shortcut the soil matrix. Indeed, according to their position, a non-uniform reaction of the sensors to the infiltration of treated wastewater was observed. In addition, two daily periodic peaks of water consumption in the house have been detected by the water content and tensiometer probes, confirming that the saturation rate is controlled by infiltration and not the water table.

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Acknowledgments

For their financial support, the authors would like to thank the GESSOL program (French Ministry of Ecology, ADEME) through the ANCRES project, and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. LEESU, Ecole des Ponts ParisTech, Universite Paris-Est, 6 et 8 avenue Blaise Pascal, Cité Descartes, 77455, Marne-la-Vallée cedex 2, France

    Behzad Nasri & Olivier Fouché

  2. Laboratory Géomatique & Foncier (“GeF”), ESGT, Conservatoire national des arts et métiers (Le Cnam), 1 boulevard Pythagore, Le Mans, F-72000, France

    Behzad Nasri & Olivier Fouché

  3. CEREMA, Département Ville Durable, 12 rue Teisserenc de Bort, Trappes cedex, 78197, France

    David Ramier

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  1. Behzad Nasri
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  2. Olivier Fouché
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  3. David Ramier
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Correspondence to Behzad Nasri.

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Nasri, B., Fouché, O. & Ramier, D. Monitoring infiltration under a real on-site treatment system of domestic wastewater and evaluation of soil transfer function (Paris Basin, France). Environ Earth Sci 73, 7435–7444 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-014-3917-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-014-3917-y

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