Fluid Conductivity Testing of Fine‐Grained Soils

Abstract

Advective fluid flow, which depends directly on hydraulic conductivity, controls contaminant migration through soils in many cases. The state of practice in laboratory measurements of hydraulic conductivity of soils was reviewed and found to be extremely variable, with the result that measurements on a given soil material often give variations of several orders of magnitude. An experimental program was completed using compacted clay soils to study several facets of laboratory testing practice, and a suitable test procedure for consistent results was developed. Recommendations on several important aspects of procedure are presented. The procedure was also evaluated with a synthetic lead‐zinc tailings leachate, and alteration of the test soils' hydraulic conductivity was evaluated and correlated with probable chemical interactions of the test permeants and soils.