Chemical and physical approaches are used to study unsaturated flow; however, few studies include an in-depth analysis of data from both approaches. Detailed chemical tracer studies were conducted at a site in the Chihuahuan Desert of Texas, and the results were compared with hydraulic attributes of the system. Estimated soil-moisture fluxes from both chemical and physical approaches were compared to better understand the hydrologic processes in the unsaturated zone.Chemical tracer studies included mass balance of the chloride ion.