The rate that water will infiltrate into the soil is dependent on textural characteristic of
the soil profile, the condition of the soil surface, and the initial moisture content within the
soil profile at the time of the infiltration event. The soil’s textural characteristics determine
the saturated hydraulic conductivity of the soil and the water retention or storage
characteristics of the soil. Naturally, soils that have a relatively coarse texture will tend to
have greater saturated hydraulic conductivity than fine–textured soils, and so these coarsetextured
soils will tend to have greater infiltration capacities. The condition of the soil surface
is important because effects such as compaction of the surface layers or deposition of fine
particulates onto the surface can reduce the hydraulic conductivity of the surface and thereby
reduce the infiltration capacity of the soil. The initial moisture content of the soil is an
important factor in determining infiltration capacity: the drier the soil is at the beginning of
an infiltration event, the more capacity the soil has to absorb the water available at the soil
surface.