Abstract In Switzerland, municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) bottom ash is deposited in open landfills, which leads to its interaction with rainwater and thus the formation of a polluted leachate. After completion, the landfill enters the aftercare phase, during which leachate contamination is expected to decrease to such level, that no hazardous effects on the environment can be assumed. This study attempts to provide a better understanding of the hydraulic and geochemical properties of bottom ash landfills by combining field and laboratory investigations. The results show that a bottom ash landfill can be described as a generally unsaturated body with several layers of different grain sizes. Three different water domains with variable hydraulic and geochemical properties were identified in the landfill: (1) zones of preferential flow, (2) a reservoir of mobile porewater, and (3) an immobile porewater reservoir. The landfill layering is primarily responsible for the formation of various flow systems during heavy rainfall events. According to a conceptual model, the different domains and reservoirs provide variable volumetric contribution to the leachate, depending on precipitation rates and duration of dry periods. Preferential flow systems account for approx. 5 – 10 vol.%. Sampling of leachate during heavy rainfall events revealed dilution effects for Na, Ca, Cl, and SO4, while pH and concentrations of Al, Cu, Cr, V, and Zn increased significantly. The findings of this study serve as a basis for the development of a hydrogeochemical model of a bottom ash landfill, which allows better prediction of the future evolution of leachate quality.