Infiltrometer data, San Antonio Creek Valley watershed, Santa Barbara County, California, 2017

Infiltrometers are devices used to measure the infiltration rates of water into soils or porous media (Bouwer, 1986). Cylinder infiltrometers are generally constructed from metal shaped into cylinders which are driven into the ground and flooded with water. The rate at which water infiltrates into the ground is measured until the rate of infiltration is constant to capture unsaturated infiltration rates and beyond steady state to measure saturated infiltration rates and conductivity (Bouwer, 1986). Infiltrometers are typically employed to measure the rate of infiltration on inundated soils such as surface irrigation, seepage from surface water such as streams or reservoirs, or infiltration basins for groundwater recharge (Bouwer, 1986). Single ring and double ring infiltrometer tests can be performed using constant head or falling head conditions. A single ring infiltrometer consists of one metal ring that is used to measure infiltration. A double ring infiltrometer consists of a smaller nested infiltrometer within a larger cylinder. Equal water levels are maintained in both rings to mitigate divergent infiltration so that vertical infiltration can be measured in the inner infiltrometer (Bouwer, 1986). Under the constant head condition, Mariotte bottles (Schwertz, 1950) are used to maintain a constant head (water-level elevation) in the infiltrometer ring. For falling head tests, the water level is allowed to drop with time and the amount of water that infiltrates is measured. Several tests should be performed at the same location to obtain accurate measurements (Bouwer, 1986). Infiltrometer tests were performed at 12 streambed sites within the San Antonio Creek Valley watershed (SACVW) in order to quantify infiltration potential along San Antonio Creek and its tributaries. Data were collected over the course of five days beginning on August 22, 2017 and ending on August 26, 2017. Five sites (SAC-STB1 through SAC-STB5) were selected along the main channel of San Antonio Creek, and seven sites (SAC-UPL1 through SAC-UPL7) were selected along tributary channels.

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  "010:12"
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  "geospatial"
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