Abstract

Water infiltration in the soil is restricted in the urban area by the large impervious surfaces and the soil compaction. We conducted the experiments to determine if the urban soils are subject to accentuated compaction even in the permeable areas and if necessary implement is the bioretention systems to improve water and soil quality. We conducted the experiments under the same conditions of soil moisture for all the sites (four sites - different in terms of land use: industrial, low-density residential, high-density residential and commercial). Degree of compaction was determined with a digital electronic cone penetrometer. We established nine penetration points were for each site. In order to determine the degree of compaction we calculated the percentage of values that exceeded 2086.5 kPa (300 psi) in the first 45 cm. The results defined soils as slightly compacted - uncompacted in the commercial area; slightly compacted in the high-density residential area; moderately compacted in the low-density residential area; severely compacted in the industrial area. We concluded that compaction affects the soils regardless of the land use in urban areas.

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