| Abstract: | Subsurface water flow routes have been inferred from gypsum sphere weight loss with minimal disturbance to soil structure or flow nets (Crabtree and Trudgill, 1984). This technique is limited by the relatively slow, fixed dissolution of gypsum. A solution is to use tablets consisting of Durham's ‘Rock Hard Water Putty’ and sodium sulphate. Laboratory tests indicate that tablet dissolution is controlled by the ratio of Rock Hard to sodium sulphate and is proportional to net throughflow yet independent of throughflow pH (between 3·0 and 9·0) and throughflow rate (at rates < 0·04 1 hr?1). The tablets are also mechanically stable, economical, and environmentally safe. Field study results using the Rock Hard-sodium sulphate tablets are consistent with both the laboratory findings and the results of previous investigators. |
