ABSTRACT:
Development of water erosion and surface water quality control practices requires information concerning the hydraulic characteristics of upland areas. The relatively small flow rates normally found within rills make measurement of bydraulic parameters difficult. Chemical tracing procedures, originally developed for stream and river systems, have been successfully used to measure rill flow properties. A chemical tracer of known concentration is added to the rill and by knowing the degree of dilution at a downstream sampling point, flow rate can be calculated. Rill flow velocity can be measured by determining the time required for a slug of tracer material to travel a designated distance. Measurements of flow rate and velocity can be used to calculate other hydraulic variables. The ability to understand and properly model rill flow will improve as additional information.
Footnotes
John E. Gilley is an agricultural engineer, USDA-ARS, and Eugene K. Kottwitz is a research engineer, Department of Biological Systems Engineering, University of Nebraska, Lincoln 68583. This article is a contribution from USDA-ARS in cooperation with the Agricultural Research Division, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and is published as Journal Series No. 9838.
- Copyright 1993 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society
This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.