Development and validation of a siphoning prototype for surface runoff evaluation

Abstract

The degradation of soil and water quality encourages research to assess the effects of rainfall on the losses of soil and chemical elements that result from surface runoff. In seasons of high surface runoff, the collectors must support the total volume drained or allow its correct estimation to avoid misinterpretation of the data. The present investigation aimed to develop and validate a compact and low-cost system to quantify surface runoff, sediments, and chemical elements losses using the bucket-siphon sampler system (BS3) siphoning method. The tests performed within the system used the runoff collected in a Nitisol or solutions constructed at the laboratory through mixing soil (i.e., Nitisol or Cambisol) with tap water. The BS3 method was efficient in estimating the total volume of water runoff and the concentration of sediments and P in the surface runoff. The maximum flow rate supported by the BS3 method, as presented here, is 0.035 L s^-1 , which considering a 10-m² plot is equivalent to 12.6 mm h^-1 . Due to the craft characteristics of the system, we recommend the calibration of each unit built to obtain a precise ratio between the volume stored and discarded by the siphoning. The prototype developed here is suitable for quantifying runoff volume, sediment, and P losses in field plots and has been manufactured under US$15.00.