Preferential flow in heterogeneous forest-reclaimed lignitic mine soil I. Cell-lysimeter and multiple-tracer study

Flow and transport processes in forest-reclaimed lignitic mine soils are required to quantify water and element budgets, which are important for long-term predictions of restored ecosystem stability and development of mining area water quality. Soil water pressure head and solute concentration measurements using tensiometers and suction cups showed strong spatial heterogeneity possibly indicating preferential flow effects. Properties and spatial structures of the mostly sandy mine soils and transport processes, however, have not sufficiently been known for detailed assessments. The objective of this study was to quantitatively analyse flow paths and measure amount and spatial distribtion of leaching. Water and element fluxes were studied at a reclaimed mine spoil site, which was afforested in 1982 with Pinus nigra. At a 3.3 m² plot, the total percolating water was collected in 110 cm soil depth by 45 squared suction cells of 27 cm edge length each. A multi-tracer solution containing deuterium, bromide, and terbuthylazine was applied evenly at the plot surface and imposed to natural infiltration. Leaching was measured for a period of about 2 years. One third of the cells never delivered any drainage water while few cells had large drainage rates which in one case even exceeded local infiltration rates. About 71 % of the drainage was through 9 % of the area. The spatial distribution of the leached bromide tracer did not always correspond with that of drainage. Relative concentrations of bromide and deuterium were similar. Terbuthylazine was observed only sporadically during the first drainage period and at relatively small concentrations just above the analytical detection limit. Leaching patterns of the sorptive herbicide indicate only relatively small nonequilibrium-type preferential flow. Sediment structures, water repellent regions, and tree root distributions seem to be important for funneling and flow path formation.