ABSTRACT The application of chemical substances to the soil together with little attention given to the possible environmental impacts, transformed the environment into a recipient of waste. The aim of this study was to simulate the movement of water and solutes (sodium and potassium together) using the STANMOD and HYDRUS-2D models in a typical Haplic Planosol under the application of wastewater via surface irrigation under different flow rates. The experiment was conducted in the laboratory by miscible displacement tests, first using columns with deformed soil under saturation and steady water flow conditions, at a rate of 11.7 cm3 min-1, to obtain transport parameters of sodium and potassium ions, and in the applied residual water, the values of 475 and 76.6 mg dm-3, respectively. The transport parameters were estimated from the numerical adjustment of effluent distribution curves, using the STANMOD model. In a second step, the HYDRUS-2D model was applied to simulate the volumetric soil moisture distribution profiles, as well as the ion concentrations in the wet bulb. Considering the results obtained, we can see that there was considerable interaction between the solutes and the soil. The value of the delay parameter was higher for the sodium when compared to the potassium, reflecting its greater adsorption and the processes of exchange between the solute and the soil. The results suggested the need for adequate soil management in order to avoid future soil sodification and, in view of the application of HYDRUS-2D, it was verified that the model presented a satisfactory performance in the simulation of the displacement of the ions, after 1, 5 and 10 hours of wastewater application.