An Introduction to Soils for Environmental Professionals

288 Pages·2018·10.368 MB·English

by  Winegardner, Duane L

AN INTRODUCTION
TO FOR
SOILS
ENVIRONMENTAL
PROFESSIONALS
DUANE L.W1NEGARDNER
m
LEWIS PUBLISHERS
Boca Raton London New York Washington, D.C.
Figures 3.2 and 3.6 are reprinted with permission of Simon & Schuster from the Macmillan College text,
The Nature and Properties of Soils, 10th ed, by Nyle C. Brady.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Winegardner, Duane L.
An introduction to soils for environmental professionals / Duane L. Winegardner.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index
ISBN 0-S7371-939-5
1. Soil science. 2. Soils. I. Title.
S591 W73 1995
631 43—dc20 95-35149
CIP
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7 8 9 0
soli Deo gloria

Preface
Environmental science is a broad spectrum field. Preservation of healthy life
on this planet requires the careful management of all the primary natural re­
sources: air, water, and soil. Each field of scientific endeavor has the capacity to
contribute understanding to one or more aspects of these resources. As each of
us focuses on our individual corner of the universe, we become increasingly
aware of the interrelationships between all the various natural (and man-made)
environmental parameters. No one portion of our earthly life support system is
independent. Constant interplay occurs between the atmosphere, surface water,
groundwater, and soil. Plants and animals depend on these complex relation­
ships. Soils are the bridge between mineral matter and life.
During my years as an applied environmental scientist, I have been privi­
leged to work with many talented professionals who understood neighboring
fields of study. A limnologist (lake specialist) who also appreciated groundwa­
ter taught me many things about aquatic chemistry. A foundation engineer spoke
confidently about anaerobic degradation of timber pilings. Environmental pro­
fessionals continue to expand their knowledge as they mature. Many new pro­
fessionals, however, are pressured by performance expectations and have little
extra time to broaden their perspective.
In this book, the basic principles of each of the major soil science fields are
assembled into one volume. It is not intended to be a “how to do it” cookbook,
but rather as a primer to introduce the reader to the concepts involved. Each
chapter focuses on a particular aspect while introducing relationships to other
studies.
The preparation of each chapter was assisted by a fellow professional who
has special talent and interest in that particular field. Chapter 2, which introduces
classifications systems, was reviewed by Demita Winegardner (my daughter-in-
law), who is an environmental-civil engineer with Cardinal Environmental. Her
assistance with the transfer of basic data between the various classifications schemes
is appreciated. Stephen Testa, president of Testa Environmental Services, con­
tributed heavily to Chapter 3 on Soil Mineralogy. He has taught mineralogy for
several years with a style which leads the student to understanding.
Chapter 4, Soil Mechanics, was edited by Rick Trapiegnier of the Zia Cor­
poration. Rick is especially talented regarding applied physical soil problems.
The chapter on Soil Physics (Chapter 5) was scrutinized by John Barone. John’s
criticism, based on his theoretical and environmental studies, was very helpful.
Soil Chemistry (Chapter 6), both organic and inorganic, was reviewed by
Patrick Francks, who specializes in environmental chemistry. Pat used parts of
vi
this chapter as handouts for his class at Oklahoma State University, Oklahoma
City Campus; their review was also appreciated.
Lonnie Kennedy, with Deerinwater Environmental Management Services, a
specialist in biodegradation, edited Chapter 7 on Microbiology. Lonnie is the au­
thor of several published articles on restoration of sites by the use of biological
active agents.
Chapter 8, Sampling Techniques, was reviewed by Leonard Billingsley. Be­
cause he has evaluated hundreds of soil sampling projects, his criticism was
greatly appreciated. Selection of Analytical Procedures (Chapter 9) was sup­
ported by the efforts of Linda O’Donnell, who is with Quality Control Labora­
tory. Her practical experience with both collection and analysis of environmen­
tal samples makes her unique to her specialty area.
Agricultural Considerations (Chapter 10) presents the basic concepts of plant
and soil interactions. David Klumpp, a respected gardener and friend, provided
input to this chapter.
The best conducted scientific project cannot be successful unless the report
is meaningful. Chapter 11 discusses Management, Presentation, and Interpreta­
tion of Soils Data. Beverly Dowdey, a research specialist with Environmental
and Engineering Information Services, reviewed and assisted with this chapter.
The final chapter (12), Case Histories and Applications, was compiled from
published articles, public data, and personal experience. I wish to thank Soils
magazine for their kind permission to abstract articles.
Special thanks are due to the editors at Lewis Publishers, especially Kathy
Walters and Vivian Collier, who supported and encouraged me on a regular basis.
Many other friends, associates, and students have encouraged and support­
ed preparation of this text. My special thanks goes to Stephen Testa, Joe Thack­
er, and Jim Blackwell for preparation of the graphics, and, as always, to my wife,
Jane for her tolerance and encouragement during the past 30 months while this
book was being prepared.
Duane L. Winegardner
Duane L. Winegardner is a senior hydrogeologist with Cardinal Environ­
mental in Oklahoma City, OK. In this capacity, most of his work involves in­
vestigation, evaluations, and engineering designs for remediation of contami­
nated soil and groundwater. Also, during the past three years he has served as
an adjunct professor at the Oklahoma City campus of Oklahoma State Univer­
sity, teaching classes and seminars related to soil and groundwater. Duane earned
both his B.S. in Geology (1967) and M.S. in Geology and Hydrology (1971) at
the University of Toledo, Toledo, OH. Subsequently, he has achieved registra­
tion as a Professional Engineer (Civil) and is licensed in several states. For the
past 28 years, his focus has been on applied technology in the construction and
environmental industries. His employers have included Toledo Testing Labora­
tory, St. Johns River Water Management District (FL) Environmental Science
and Engineering, OHM Corporation, Engineering Enterprises, and Deerinwater
Environmental Management Services.
For the past eight years, his emphasis has been focused on the cleanup of
petroleum contamination in soils and groundwater. Many of his remediation de­
signs have been based on new applications of existing technology as well as de­
velopment of unique processes for specific geological and chemical settings. In
1990, he and Stephen Testa published Restoration of Petroleum Contaminated
Aquifers.
Duane is a member of the American Society for Testing and Materials, the
Association of Ground Water Scientists and Engineers, and the Oklahoma So­
ciety of Environmental Professionals. He continues to write professional papers
and routinely participates in educational programs.

Contents
Chapter 1
The Fundamental Concept of Soil............................................................... 1
Chapter 2
Classification Systems................................................................................. 5
Chapter 3
Soil Mineralogy........................................................................................... 31
Chapter 4
Soil Mechanics............................................................................................... 43
Chapter 5
Soil Physics..................................................................................................... 63
Chapter 6
Soil Chemistry............................................................................................. 95
Chapter 7
Microbiology.................................................................................................. 127
Chapter 8
Sampling Techniques................................................................................... 147
Chapter 9
Selection of Analytical Procedures............................................................... 161
Chapter 10
Agricultural Considerations........................................................................... 175
Chapter 11
Management, Presentation and Interpretation of Soil Data.......................... 187
Chapter 12
Case Histories and Applications.................................................................... 201
Appendix A
Field Methods for Soil Classification According to the USCS System 217