Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T20:00:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 5728.pdf: 4886967 bytes, checksum: 9a66021bc6eec94037ca58204cb8fb84 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-08-23 / Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos / Stormwater flooding in urban centers today is the direct result of ground impermeabilization and the ineffective dimensioning of stormwater drainage systems. In order to control these events, innovative low impact stormwater drainage facilities are used in Brazil, which are efficient in controlling sharp peak flows in urban watersheds without, however, affecting the aesthetic appearance of the landscape in these environments. The purpose of this study is to model and estimate the volume of water infiltrated into the soil where a compensatory stormwater drainage system is inserted, which can contribute to groundwater recharge. Modeling was performed by means of a physical storage method and storage variation in soil using a tensiometer, and in digital form using the Hydrus 2D/3D software package. The monitored drainage system and the digitally designed system consist of a water retention basin, a ditch or filter, and an infiltration trench. Groundwater recharge was estimated based on soil analyses, geophysical investigations, flow measurements, and rainfall data, in addition to data collected during 454 days of continuous monitoring of the system by means of tensiometers installed on-site, rain gauges, and the construction of bimodal soil water retention curves using the filter paper method. The moisture content at different depths, the zero water flow plane, and the volumes moving in the soil matrix were calculated based on the identification of the soil water content and matric potential, the hydraulic conductivity in saturated conditions at the monitored depths, and the soil s characteristic curves. The results of the Soil Water Retention Curves (SWRC) and soil moisture content were negligible starting from a depth of 80cm. However, the groundwater recharge rate estimated by the tensiometer method and by the Hydrus digital model was about 45% of the total volume of rainfall. / Atualmente, eventuais problemas de enchentes e inundações, são causas diretas da impermeabilização de áreas nos centros urbanos e do ineficaz dimensionamento da drenagem pluvial nas cidades. No intuito de se controlar estes eventos, equipamentos de drenagem de baixo impacto são inovadoras no Brasil e eficientes no controle de vazões de pico acentuadas em bacias urbanas, sem sobretudo, renunciar à estética e à paisagem nestes ambientes. Neste trabalho objetivou-se modelar e estimar o volume de água infiltrado no solo, onde um sistema de drenagem pluvial compensatória está inserido, que é capaz de contribuir com a recarga freática. A modelagem foi realizada por meio do método de armazenamento e variação da armazenagem no solo com utilização de tensiômetro e de forma digital utilizando-se do software Hydrus 2D/3D. O sistema de drenagem monitorado e o diagramado digitalmente são constituídos de uma bacia de retenção de água, uma vala ou filtro gramado e uma trincheira de infiltração. Na tentativa de estimar a recarga freática realizaram-se, conjuntamente, análises de solo, investigações geofísicas, medidas de vazão, coleta de dados de chuva, além do monitoramento contínuo em 454 dias do sistema através da instalação de tensiômetros no local, pluviógrafos, além da construção de curvas bimodais de retenção de água nos solos por meio do método do papel filtro. A partir da identificação dos potenciais mátricos do solo, da condutividade hidráulica em condições saturadas para as profundidades monitoradas e da obtenção das curvas características do solo, foi possível calcular o teor de umidade em diferentes profundidades, identificar o plano de fluxo zero e calcular os volumes em movimento na matriz do solo. Os resultados obtidos pela verificação das Curvas de Retenção de Água no Solo (CRAs) e umidades de campo foram pouco expressivos a partir de 80cm de profundidade, entretanto, a recarga estimada obtida pelo método dos tensiômetros e pelo modelo digital Hydrus ficou em torno de um valor médio de 45% do volume total precipitado.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / This research was conducted with the objective of studying the dynamics of soil temperature and water content as a function of the different amounts of black oat residue (Avena sativa Schreb.) in the soil cover, through existing relationships with meteorological variables, as well as the simulation of these dynamics using Hydrus-1D. The experiment was carried out in an Argissolo Vermelho Distrófico arênico (Rhodic Paleudalf) in Santa Maria - RS. The treatments consisted of the use of 3, 6 and 9 Mg ha-1 of oat straw in soil cover and an uncovered soil treatment (0 Mg ha-1). Soil temperature and water content at different depths, in addition to meteorological conditions, were measured during the period from December 1, 2014 to December 6, 2015. The effect of straw on soil temperature was analyzed at different depths, correlating covered soil temperature with uncovered soil temperature. The equations used for estimating soil surface temperature were adjusted by the least square method, where the surface temperature is estimated as a function of air temperature and incident solar radiation, and its performance compared to the sinusoidal equation. The hydraulic and thermal parameters required for the simulation of soil temperature and water content were optimized by the reverse solution and validated on uncovered soils. The optimized parameters were used to simulate the temperature and water content in soils with different amounts of straw with two contour conditions for the soil surface temperature, one measure and the other estimated. The straw affected the soil temperature down to 50 cm deep. The uncovered soil temperature at which inversion of the straw effect occurred was 19.6 ° C at the surface and 15.8 ° C at 50 cm depth. The presence of straw keeps the soil warmer than the soil without straw at the beginning of the day, but prevents it from warming similar to the ground without straw for the rest of the day, causing in turn that, bare soil gets warmer during the day and cools more at night compared to the covered soil. This temperature was similar in all amounts of straw, but decreased in depth. The temperature of the soil surface can be estimated as a function of air temperature and solar radiation. In uncovered soil the proposed equation presents better performance compared to the sinusoidal equation. In covered soils the sinusoidal equation had better performance. The optimal hydraulic and thermal parameters of the soil improved the simulations of temperature and soil water content. The soil temperature with different amounts of oat straw can be simulated using Hydrus-1D, and the use of the contour condition with the measured surface temperature performed better than the estimated surface temperature. / Esta pesquisa foi conduzida com o objetivo de estudar a dinâmica da temperatura e do conteúdo de água do solo em função de diferentes quantidades de resíduos de aveia preta disposta em cobertura por meio das relações existente com variáveis meteorológicas, bem como a representação destes comportamentos por meio de simulação utilizando o Hydrus-1D. O experimento foi conduzido em um Argissolo Vermelho Distrófico arênico em Santa Maria - RS. Os tratamentos consistiram da utilização de três diferentes níveis de cobertura do solo (3, 6 e 9 Mg ha-1) com palha de aveia (Avena sativa) e um tratamento com solo descoberto (0 Mg ha-1). A temperatura do solo e o conteúdo volumétrico de água, em diferentes profundidades, além das condições meteorológicas, foram mensurados durante o período de 01/12/2014 a 06/12/2015. O efeito da cobertura do solo com resíduos vegetais na temperatura do solo foi analisado nas diferentes profundidades correlacionando a temperatura do solo com palha e a temperatura do solo descoberto. O método dos mínimos quadrados foi usado para gerar equações de estimativa da temperatura da superfície do solo em função da temperatura do ar e da radiação solar e o seu desempenho foi comparado com a equação senoidal. Os parâmetros hidráulicos e térmicos, necessários para a simulação da temperatura e do conteúdo de água do solo, com o Hydrus-1D, foram otimizados por meio da solução inversa e validados em solos descobertos. Os parâmetros otimizados foram usados para a simulação da temperatura e do conteúdo de água em solos com diferentes quantidades de palha com duas condições de contorno para a temperatura da superfície do solo, uma medida e outra estimada. A palha exerce influência sobre a temperatura do solo até 50 cm de profundidade. A temperatura do solo descoberto em que ocorre a inversão do efeito da palha foi de 19,6 °C na superfície e 15,8 °C a 50 cm de profundidade. A presença de cobertura de palha mantém o solo mais aquecido que o solo sem palha no início do dia, mas impede que ele se aqueça igual ao solo sem palha no restante do dia. Assim resultando em uma percepção de que a palha aquece e resfria o solo em relação à temperatura do solo desnudo. Essa temperatura foi semelhante em todas as quantidades de palha, porém decresceu em profundidade. A estimativa da temperatura da superfície do solo pode ser estimada em função da temperatura do ar e da radiação solar. Em solo descoberto as equações propostas tem melhor desempenho que a equação senoidal. Em solos cobertos a equação senoidal teve melhor desempenho. Os parâmetros hidráulicos e térmicos do solo otimizados melhoraram as simulações da temperatura e conteúdo de água do solo. A simulação da temperatura do solo com diferentes quantidades de cobertura vegetal pode ser simulada usando o Hydrus-1D, sendo que o uso da condição de contorno com a temperatura da superfície medido teve melhor desempenho que o utilizando a temperatura da superfície estimada.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The environmental contamination by metallic trace elements is a problem that is getting worse around the world due to the growth and the technologic development of the humanity. Among the main sources of this kind of contamination are the atmospheric deposition of particles in soils located around industrial complexes and the prolonged and concentrated application of organic wastes in the soil. When present at the soil surface, these elements will migrate in depth and may reach the subsurface water bodies, causing their contamination. This study aimed to use the software Hydrus-2D to simulate the vertical redistribution of zinc, lead and copper in soil profiles contaminated by air pollution or by the application of swine liquid manure as well the transfer of these metallic trace elements into the groundwater. Chemical models were used under different hypotheses of reactivity of these elements with the soil particles and the physical, hidric and chemical characteristics of each soil profile. In the attempt to validate these models, it was simulated the vertical transports of zinc and lead, between 1900 and 2000, at three uses of a soil in northern France and of zinc and copper, between 2000 and 2008, at a soil profile located in Santa Maria RS, Brazil. Using a two sites chemical model with the kinetic constant decreased to 1% of the value measured in the laboratory, the simulations of the vertical transport of the metallic trace elements were validated in all soil profiles. This model was able to redistribute efficiently these elements in the profile, according their concentrations determined in situ. It was also predicted that the transfer of these contaminants do not represent, until now, any risk of pollution of the groundwater. Even with the continued application of high doses of swine liquid manure until 2058, the predicted increasing of zinc and copper concentrations in soil solution will not represent a risk of subsurface waters pollution. However, the model estimated that copper will be accumulated on the surface of this profile in greater quantities than zinc, increasing its concentration to levels above the value of intervention to agricultural areas. It was concluded that Hydrus-2D was a useful tool in detecting and/or forecasting environmental problems arising from the accumulation of metallic trace elements in soil and its leaching to the subsurface water bodies. / A contaminação do ambiente por elementos traços metálicos é um problema que vem se agravando em todo o mundo. Ela é decorrente do crescimento e do desenvolvimento tecnológico da humanidade, que apresenta, entre as principais fontes, as contaminações oriundas da deposição atmosférica de partículas aos solos localizados no entorno de complexos industriais e da aplicação concentrada e prolongada de resíduos orgânicos. Uma vez presentes na superfície do solo, esses elementos migrarão em profundidade, podendo atingir os corpos de água subsuperficiais e contaminá-los. Este trabalho teve por objetivo principal usar o programa computacional Hydrus-2D para simular a redistribuição vertical de zinco, chumbo e cobre no perfil de solos contaminados por poluição atmosférica ou pela aplicação de dejeto líquido de suínos e a transferência desses elementos traços metálicos rumo ao lençol freático. Para tal, foram usados modelos químicos sob diferentes premissas de reatividade dos elementos com as partículas do solo e as características físico-hídricas e químicas de cada perfil de solo. Buscou-se validar estes modelos, simulando os transportes verticais de zinco e chumbo, entre 1900 e 2000, em três usos de um solo do norte da França e de zinco e cobre, entre 2000 e 2008, num perfil de solo localizado em Santa Maria RS, Brasil. Utilizando um modelo químico de dois sítios com a constante cinética diminuída a 1% do valor medido em laboratório, as simulações do transporte vertical dos elementos traços metálicos foram validadas em todos os perfis de solo. Esse modelo foi capaz de redistribuir eficientemente estes elementos no perfil, conforme suas concentrações determinadas in situ. Ele também previu que a transferência destes contaminantes não representou, até o momento, nenhum risco de poluição da água do lençol freático. Mesmo com a manutenção da aplicação de altas doses de dejeto líquido de suínos até 2058, o aumento na concentração de zinco e cobre na solução do solo previsto não representará risco à poluição das águas subsuperficiais. Porém, o modelo estimou que o cobre se acumulará na superfície deste perfil em maior quantidade que o zinco, elevando sua concentração para níveis acima do valor de intervenção para áreas agrícolas. Dessa forma, o Hydrus-2D apresentou-se como uma ferramenta muito útil na detecção e/ou previsão de problemas ambientais decorrentes do acúmulo de elementos traços metálicos no solo e da sua lixiviação para os corpos de água subsuperficiais.

Groundwater is a crucial part of the hydrological cycle and is an important source for drinking water, irrigation and industry, particularly during droughts. With climate change, the hydrological variability is predicted to increase, making predictions for recharge and groundwater storage even more important to implement and to maintain sustainable water use. This study examines the importance of model spin-up in simulating recharge using the Hydrus-1D computer model. The focus is on two previously made Hydrus-1D models that represent end members in climate and hydrology; one which is a natural grassland in a semi-arid climate, while the other is a low impact development (LID) bioswale site in a Mediterranean climate. The main goal of this study is to characterize the range and causes of spin-up behavior as well as to analyze the extent of the effects that the spin-up process has on the recharge simulations. Although there has been some research on spin-up behavior for surface-water models, there is still a knowledge gap regarding the effects of model spin-up on vadose zone models simulating recharge. The initial conditions varied using three parameters for each of the two models: time (3, 15 and 30 years), initial moisture (θ = 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3) and precipitation (25% drier than historical data, historical 30-year data, 25% wetter than historical data). The output from these spin-ups were then used as initial conditions in simulating recharge using the 15-year models. The study found that the impact of spin-up is significant in the natural grassland site where there is a slow response between atmospheric forcings and recharge and where there is a relatively thick vadose zone. Especially spin-up time showed great variability and there is an inverse relationship between spin-up time and magnitude of recharge, where the longer spin-ups had lower recharge rates. Initial water content and precipitation did not result in different recharge amounts for the LID model. Length of spin-up only had very small differences in recharge for the LID models, indicating they are less sensitive to changes in initial spin-up parameters.

The percolation of water through waste rock dumps at mine sites can lead to the production of a leachate with high concentrations of dissolved metals, sulfate and nitrogen compounds. It is important to understand how water flows in waste rock dumps in order to predict the environmental impact of this leachate on recipients. The dynamics of percolation and leachate discharge are controlled by climatological conditions at the site, where relatively large flows in northern Sweden correspond to snowmelt during late Spring. Rock dumps are often tens of meters in height, resulting in an unsaturated water flow system through heterogeneous material. Hence, the simulation of leachate generation requires an accurate representation of the subsurface materials as well as the flow processes, where water flow in waste rock dumps is dominated by matrix flow with macropore flow being of secondary importance. Matrix flow is rather slow and may thus potentially yield relatively high concentrations of contaminants in the leachate, in response to precipitation and snow melt. This study uses Hydrus-1D to predict leachate generation from a small-scale waste rock dump in Kiruna in terms of discharge magnitude and timing. The 3-dimensional geometry of the waste rock dump is approximated by summing simulations from 1225 one-dimensional columns of different length, with a surface area of 1 m2 each. There are four output parameters that are compared between the model results and measured data: snow accumulation, water content, temperature, and discharge. There are some discrepancies between the model results and field measurements, most likely due to uncertainties in the input parameters (especially waste rock properties), limitations in the Hydrus-1D model (i.e. freeze-thaw dynamics), and assumptions that are used in constructing the conceptual model. For better agreement between model results and measured data, a new modelling approach is recommended, potentially using a different program than Hydrus-1D.

This master's thesis deals with the modeling of biochemical processes in saturated vertical filter (which is often part of constructed treatment wetland) using software HYDRUS 2D and the module Constructed Wetland CW2D. The introductory part of this thesis is the literature research of expertise that are introduce with the theme constructed treatment wetlands and should also provide a basic overview of the mathematical or numerical modeling issue. The last chapter describes the theoretical introduction of software HYDRUS 2D and CW2D module, it is the practical part used to create a numerical l model. The practical part is based on theoretical knowledge and demonstrates the creating process of mathematical model in program HYDRUS 2D, simulating the real biochemical processes on the vertical saturated filter. The model is created in the program HYDRUS 2D CW2D and based on real operated constructed wetland. The thesis describes the calibration and followed verification of this model. The final model can well simulate the real filter behavior and allows user to get information about the output concentrations of waste water emission, such as ammonia nitrogen (N-NH4+) and chemical oxygen demand (COD). The results should in the future contribute to create software intended to draft and layout constructed wetlands.

The thesis deals with the issue of simulation of treated wastewater irrigation by the HYDRUS 2D software. The first part of the thesis is designed as a literary research of academic information and knowledge. It aims at introducing the issue of treated wastewater utilization for the purpose of the irrigation with an emphasis on the Czech Republic. The following is an overview of important hydropedological characteristics of soils, the theoretical basis of numerical modeling of movement and transport of solutes in soil and the use of HYDRUS 2D software. The practical part is based on theoretical knowledge and demonstrates the creating process of mathematical model in program HYDRUS 2D, simulating the transport of input pollution in the soil profile. Wastewater used for irrigation was treated using a system of mechanical pretreatment and horizontal filters planted with macrophytes situated on a CW Drazovce. This work describes the calibration and subsequent application of calibrated models for monitored pollution parameters NH4+-N, P-PO4-3 and COD.

This thesis presents two interrelated studies that consider nutrient management and seasonal changes in recharge on agricultural lands within the context of source water protection. The research focuses first on the management of the risk to groundwater quality through the implementation of various nutrient management practices and secondly considers the dynamic nature of the transport pathway to the groundwater system associated with seasonal changes in climate and hydrology. The combined results provide insight into several of the key factors influencing the protection of groundwater sources within the agricultural landscape. Field work was completed between 2009 and 2010 on an agricultural field near the City of Woodstock, Ontario. The site is located within a source water protection area; the two-year travel time zone of the Thornton Well Field which represents the primary water supply for the City of Woodstock and which has experienced chronic increases in nitrate concentrations over the last few decades. The wells are completed in glacial overburden consisting of intermingling sand and gravel till aquifers which overly a limestone bedrock aquifer. Agricultural best or beneficial management practices (BMPs) field have been implemented and monitored since 2004. The BMPs were adopted in order to reduce nitrogen losses to the aquifer, and consisted of a reduction in nitrogen fertilizer application rates over a series of agricultural fields located near the well The first study is a one year experiment designed to compare alternative nutrient management practices for corn. Combinations of fertilizer treatments with or without a legume cover crop (red clover) were assessed. The fertilizer treatments studied were: a polymer coated urea (slow-release fertilizer) applied at planting, a conventional urea applied at planting, side-dress treatment of a solution of urea and ammonium nitrate in water containing 28% nitrogen with two different application rates applied in the early summer, and a control. The legume cover crop was incorporated in the soil in the previous fall, and acts as a slow release fertilizer as nitrogen is made available to the following crop as the plants decompose. Treatments were compared based on crop yield, overall economic return, and the potential for nitrate leaching. The potential for nitrate leaching was evaluated with bi-weekly shallow soil core during the growing season, and deep soil cores taken before planting, after harvest and the following spring. The deep cores allowed changes in nitrate storage below the rooting zone to be assessed. The results of this study highlight the importance of timing of fertilizer applications and rate of fertilizer applications. Treatments which provide a delay in the release or application of fertilizer, the polymer-coated urea, the calculator-rate side-dress and the clover cover crop, were found to be advantageous. The polymer-coated urea treatments and side-dress treatments were found to reduce leaching compared to the conventional urea treatment. Treatments with the clover cover crops were not found to reduce crop yields or increase leaching potential, and lower fertilizer costs associated to this practice were found to have a positive economic effect. Plots treated with the high-rate side-dress fertilizer application lost more nitrate to the subsurface compared to the other treatment options, and an economic disadvantage was observed as yields did not compensate for higher fertilizer costs. The study highlights the advantages of the different treatments under study, which may be used to inform policy makers and farmers in the selection of economically and environmentally sustainable nutrient management BMP options. Groundwater monitoring at the site over the years has indentified interesting recharge dynamics, particularly in the vicinity of an ephemeral stream which develops annually during spring and winter melt events in a low lying area of the study site. It was hypothesized that rapid recharge could occur beneath the stream allowing for surface water to quickly reach groundwater, posing a threat to municipal water wells. The current framework of source water protection does not take into account the potential risk posed by this type recharge event. At this field site, rapid infiltration associated with this type of event may pose a risk to drinking water quality due to the proximity of the stream to the pumping wells and the nature of the aquifer. The second study examines rapid groundwater recharge processes beneath the ephemeral stream during the course of a spring melt in 2010. The goals of the study were to quantify recharge at one location beneath the stream and to assess whether temperature variations above the water table can be used as a tracer to reasonably estimate recharge during a short live recharge event. A novel housing for the temperature sensors was designed in order to deploy and position them into gravelly materials within the vadose zone, which reduced the potential for the formation of preferential pathways and permitted the retrieval of the sensors at a later date. Field data were collected during the course of the spring melt period from a network of groundwater monitoring wells and subsurface temperature sensors. Spatial and temporal changes in groundwater geochemistry, hydraulic head and temperature were were used to characterize recharge dynamics at the field site. Recharge beneath a segment of the ephemeral stream was quantified through the numerical analysis of the field data using Hydrus 1-D, a one-dimensional numerical model designed to simulate soil water flow and heat transport in variably saturated porous media. Site specific data were used to create the model domain, provide estimates of physical parameters, and to define initial and time variable boundary conditions. Model parameters were first calibrated by simulating periods where it was expected that soils would be gravity drained with minimal soil water flow, and then further refined by simulating the period when the ephemeral stream was present. A final set of parameters was determined, and the initial gravity drained conditions were re-simulated. The model was able to reproduce field observations under different flow scenarios using the final set of parameters, suggesting that the conceptual model and final model domain representative of the actual field conditions. The successful simulation of the field data sets under the different flow scenarios also increases confidence in the uniqueness of the model results. The model estimated that 0.15 m of recharge occurred beneath the instrumented site during the period between March 9th and March 22nd of 2010 when the ephemeral stream was present. This represents approximately a third of the expected total annual recharge for this location. Regional changes in hydraulic head, groundwater temperature and groundwater chemistry provided additional insight into the dynamic nature of the recharge process during the spring meld period and further illustrated the spatial variability of the aquifers’ response to the stream. The study found that the use of temperature as a tracer provided useful and quantifiable insight into recharge phenomena. The results of this study suggest that high rates of rapid recharge occur beneath the ephemeral stream, and are spatially variable. This type of focused infiltration that occurs during the spring melt may represent a risk to municipal water quality if the infiltrating waters are carrying contaminants.

This thesis presents two interrelated studies that consider nutrient management and seasonal changes in recharge on agricultural lands within the context of source water protection. The research focuses first on the management of the risk to groundwater quality through the implementation of various nutrient management practices and secondly considers the dynamic nature of the transport pathway to the groundwater system associated with seasonal changes in climate and hydrology. The combined results provide insight into several of the key factors influencing the protection of groundwater sources within the agricultural landscape. Field work was completed between 2009 and 2010 on an agricultural field near the City of Woodstock, Ontario. The site is located within a source water protection area; the two-year travel time zone of the Thornton Well Field which represents the primary water supply for the City of Woodstock and which has experienced chronic increases in nitrate concentrations over the last few decades. The wells are completed in glacial overburden consisting of intermingling sand and gravel till aquifers which overly a limestone bedrock aquifer. Agricultural best or beneficial management practices (BMPs) field have been implemented and monitored since 2004. The BMPs were adopted in order to reduce nitrogen losses to the aquifer, and consisted of a reduction in nitrogen fertilizer application rates over a series of agricultural fields located near the well The first study is a one year experiment designed to compare alternative nutrient management practices for corn. Combinations of fertilizer treatments with or without a legume cover crop (red clover) were assessed. The fertilizer treatments studied were: a polymer coated urea (slow-release fertilizer) applied at planting, a conventional urea applied at planting, side-dress treatment of a solution of urea and ammonium nitrate in water containing 28% nitrogen with two different application rates applied in the early summer, and a control. The legume cover crop was incorporated in the soil in the previous fall, and acts as a slow release fertilizer as nitrogen is made available to the following crop as the plants decompose. Treatments were compared based on crop yield, overall economic return, and the potential for nitrate leaching. The potential for nitrate leaching was evaluated with bi-weekly shallow soil core during the growing season, and deep soil cores taken before planting, after harvest and the following spring. The deep cores allowed changes in nitrate storage below the rooting zone to be assessed. The results of this study highlight the importance of timing of fertilizer applications and rate of fertilizer applications. Treatments which provide a delay in the release or application of fertilizer, the polymer-coated urea, the calculator-rate side-dress and the clover cover crop, were found to be advantageous. The polymer-coated urea treatments and side-dress treatments were found to reduce leaching compared to the conventional urea treatment. Treatments with the clover cover crops were not found to reduce crop yields or increase leaching potential, and lower fertilizer costs associated to this practice were found to have a positive economic effect. Plots treated with the high-rate side-dress fertilizer application lost more nitrate to the subsurface compared to the other treatment options, and an economic disadvantage was observed as yields did not compensate for higher fertilizer costs. The study highlights the advantages of the different treatments under study, which may be used to inform policy makers and farmers in the selection of economically and environmentally sustainable nutrient management BMP options. Groundwater monitoring at the site over the years has indentified interesting recharge dynamics, particularly in the vicinity of an ephemeral stream which develops annually during spring and winter melt events in a low lying area of the study site. It was hypothesized that rapid recharge could occur beneath the stream allowing for surface water to quickly reach groundwater, posing a threat to municipal water wells. The current framework of source water protection does not take into account the potential risk posed by this type recharge event. At this field site, rapid infiltration associated with this type of event may pose a risk to drinking water quality due to the proximity of the stream to the pumping wells and the nature of the aquifer. The second study examines rapid groundwater recharge processes beneath the ephemeral stream during the course of a spring melt in 2010. The goals of the study were to quantify recharge at one location beneath the stream and to assess whether temperature variations above the water table can be used as a tracer to reasonably estimate recharge during a short live recharge event. A novel housing for the temperature sensors was designed in order to deploy and position them into gravelly materials within the vadose zone, which reduced the potential for the formation of preferential pathways and permitted the retrieval of the sensors at a later date. Field data were collected during the course of the spring melt period from a network of groundwater monitoring wells and subsurface temperature sensors. Spatial and temporal changes in groundwater geochemistry, hydraulic head and temperature were were used to characterize recharge dynamics at the field site. Recharge beneath a segment of the ephemeral stream was quantified through the numerical analysis of the field data using Hydrus 1-D, a one-dimensional numerical model designed to simulate soil water flow and heat transport in variably saturated porous media. Site specific data were used to create the model domain, provide estimates of physical parameters, and to define initial and time variable boundary conditions. Model parameters were first calibrated by simulating periods where it was expected that soils would be gravity drained with minimal soil water flow, and then further refined by simulating the period when the ephemeral stream was present. A final set of parameters was determined, and the initial gravity drained conditions were re-simulated. The model was able to reproduce field observations under different flow scenarios using the final set of parameters, suggesting that the conceptual model and final model domain representative of the actual field conditions. The successful simulation of the field data sets under the different flow scenarios also increases confidence in the uniqueness of the model results. The model estimated that 0.15 m of recharge occurred beneath the instrumented site during the period between March 9th and March 22nd of 2010 when the ephemeral stream was present. This represents approximately a third of the expected total annual recharge for this location. Regional changes in hydraulic head, groundwater temperature and groundwater chemistry provided additional insight into the dynamic nature of the recharge process during the spring meld period and further illustrated the spatial variability of the aquifers’ response to the stream. The study found that the use of temperature as a tracer provided useful and quantifiable insight into recharge phenomena. The results of this study suggest that high rates of rapid recharge occur beneath the ephemeral stream, and are spatially variable. This type of focused infiltration that occurs during the spring melt may represent a risk to municipal water quality if the infiltrating waters are carrying contaminants.

The thesis deals with the issue of simulation of treated wastewater irrigation by the HYDRUS 2D software. The first part of the thesis is designed as a theoretical research of academic information and knowledge. It aims at introducing the issue of treated wastewater utilization for the purpose of the irrigation. Furthermore it provides basic theoretical information on numeric simulation of the dissolved materials motion and transport in the soil. The last chapter of the theoretical part describes the calibration of the simulation by the HYDRUS 2D software. The second part of the thesis is devoted to the formation of filtration columns placed in the chosen site of the root zone wastewater plant. Within the filtration columns the automatic irrigation was formed and set off. Measuring of humidity in filtration columns was taking place for 81 days as well as the water sampling after the flow through the soil horizons. On the grounds of the measuring results the calibration of numeric simulation was carried out by the HYDRUS 2D software. The last part of the thesis presents the applications through the extending and alternation of the modelled setting. The main aim of the thesis is to calibrate the model and propose a general solution to advancement at realization of irrigation details when using the treated wastewater for the purpose of irrigation.