A Geotechnical Analysis of Soil Sample PP-13 from the Palouse Prairie Restoration Project in Cheney WA
Faculty Mentor
Richard Orndorff
Presentation Type
Poster
Start Date
May 2025
End Date
May 2025
Location
PUB NCR
Primary Discipline of Presentation
Geosciences
Abstract
The Palouse is a distinct geographic region covering much of Eastern Washington, parts of Western Idaho, and Northeastern Oregon. The region is characterized by rolling loess hills and originally featured an extensive and diverse prairie ecosystem. Settlement in the late 1800s rapidly led to the prairie being converted into farmland, and today less than one percent of the original ecosystem remains. The Palouse Prairie Restoration Project is currently being undertaken at Eastern Washington University to convert a 120-acre parcel of Palouse farmland back to the original prairie ecosystem. The area will function as a living laboratory and feature amenities like walking trails and outdoor classrooms. For this project, we collected a soil sample (PP-13) from the restoration site and determined its geotechnical engineering properties through a variety of ASTM standard tests. Tests included soil specific gravity, sieve and hydrometer analysis to determine particle size, plastic and liquid limits, optimal water content for compaction, and unconfined compressive strength. It is important to understand these soil properties when undergoing any sort of construction. This information helps minimize risk of structural failure and other natural hazards, and it helps reduce harm to the environment.
Recommended Citation
Hampson, Jerusha R.; Tierney-Coleman, Mckenna; Bednarczyk, Hannah; Herman, Logan; and Orndorff, Richard, "A Geotechnical Analysis of Soil Sample PP-13 from the Palouse Prairie Restoration Project in Cheney WA" (2025). 2025 Symposium. 11.
https://dc.ewu.edu/srcw_2025/ps_2025/p1_2025/11
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
A Geotechnical Analysis of Soil Sample PP-13 from the Palouse Prairie Restoration Project in Cheney WA
PUB NCR
The Palouse is a distinct geographic region covering much of Eastern Washington, parts of Western Idaho, and Northeastern Oregon. The region is characterized by rolling loess hills and originally featured an extensive and diverse prairie ecosystem. Settlement in the late 1800s rapidly led to the prairie being converted into farmland, and today less than one percent of the original ecosystem remains. The Palouse Prairie Restoration Project is currently being undertaken at Eastern Washington University to convert a 120-acre parcel of Palouse farmland back to the original prairie ecosystem. The area will function as a living laboratory and feature amenities like walking trails and outdoor classrooms. For this project, we collected a soil sample (PP-13) from the restoration site and determined its geotechnical engineering properties through a variety of ASTM standard tests. Tests included soil specific gravity, sieve and hydrometer analysis to determine particle size, plastic and liquid limits, optimal water content for compaction, and unconfined compressive strength. It is important to understand these soil properties when undergoing any sort of construction. This information helps minimize risk of structural failure and other natural hazards, and it helps reduce harm to the environment.
