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• <br />ExxonMobil Global Services <br />Colony Shale Oil Project <br />ESR Reclamation Studies <br />Weighing Lysimeter Perfom~ance 1990-2003 <br />Project No. 353 <br />Page 21 <br />to be retained in the mixed zone (blue line in Fig. 4.1) and did not makes it into the ESR <br />combusted shale (red line in Fig. 4.1). <br />4.3.5 1998 - YE 2000 <br />:7 <br />By 1998 it is cleaz that the "mixed" zone is participating in the seasonal moisture <br />swings, and that moisture content in the underlying ESR shale zone climbs by about 5% in <br />response to the melt, but then reduces and hold constant at about 44%. The annual moisture <br />content swing in the mixed zone is by now greater than the annual swing in either of the <br />overlying pure topsoil zones. In 1999, based on the individual yeaz Jensen-Haise plot in <br />Appendix B, the system was again able to consume the entire theoretical Et amount until it ran <br />into water deficit in July, which is one to two months longer than inmost years. After that, the <br />actual Ete was equal to the incident precipitation for the remainder of the yeaz, meaning all <br />precipitation after this point was essentially consumed by plants or evaporated from the <br />surface. Further, there is substantial storm runoff in 2000, but there is no concurrent increase <br />in the moisture content in the ESR combusted shale. <br />These observations suggest that while the system is not capable of consuming the <br />entire spring melt (the red curve in Fig 4.1 spikes concurrent with spring melt), it is capable of <br />consuming summer stomvs, including thundeistonns. This is the fulfillment of the hypothesis <br />stated by Wymore that vegetative covers might be able to in effect "prevent deep percolation <br />through most of the yeaz." It is also worthy of note that these years are not drought years, and <br />are still in the "above average" range of annual precipitation, although that will end in 2001. <br />The system also seems to have reached equilibrium by 2000 based on overall lysimeter weight <br />Pattern. <br />Finally, it may be that the system has had lime for the "mixed zone" to become <br />palatable for plant roots, and deeper rooted species may be increasing This hypothesis is <br />• <br />LACHEL FELICE & Associates <br />