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