Peat hydrology in the Hula Basin, Israel: I. Properties of peat

The results of laboratory and field studies concerned with various mechanical and hydraulic properties of peat in the Hula Basin are presented. Particular emphasis has been placed on the measurement of bulk density, porosity and void ratio, hydraulic conductivity, water retention under unsaturated conditions, compressibility, release of water due to consolidation and the content of organic matter. It is shown that the properties of peat in the basin change drastically when it becomes partially desaturated. As a result of this change, one can distinguish between a permanently saturated layer below the zone of water-table fluctuation having relatively uniform characteristics and an overlying partially desaturated layer the properties of which vary gradually with depth. The saturated layer is currently undergoing a process of consolidation and its properties may therefore be expected to change in the future. One of the conclusions reached in this work is that compressibility is very important and must not be neglected in dealing with fluid flow through peats. This is true for confined as well as unconfined (i.e., water-table) conditions.