Induction of soil water repellency following irrigation with treated wastewater: effects of irrigation water quality and soil texture

We hypothesized that organic matter (OM) content originating from treated wastewater (TWW) irrigation and soil texture dominate the intensity of soil water repellency. The relationship between soil texture, wastewater treatment level, and water repellency was examined in a 3-year lysimeter experiment (2008–2010). Soil type–water quality combinations, consisting of three soils with different specific surface area (SSA) and four levels of water quality differing in OM content, were tested. In each year, water repellency developed in all TWW quality treatments, but not in freshwater-irrigated controls. At the end of each year (except 2009), the highest degree of repellency was exhibited by sandy soil treated with the lowest quality TWW (highest OM content). The lowest degree of water repellency was consistently exhibited by the soil with the highest SSA irrigated with the highest quality TWW (lowest OM content). Water quality, rather than SSA, was the dominant factor in determining degree of repellency induced by TWW irrigation.