Small-particle interlayers (lenticles) show some characteristic hydraulic properties and can affect the movement of unsaturated wa-ter. In this study, we developed a novel online capillary-water-absorption monitoring device and conducted three groups of comparison tests to simulate lenticle positions and thicknesses with respect to the capillary rise. The results show that the characteristic wetting front exhibits a fast rise in the early stage, a slow rise in the middle stage, and stability in the later stage. The motion of the capillary water in the lenticle is mainly transversal, with the upward curve being flat, and the longer is flat, the longer is the time needed for the water to move. The interlayer can form a capillary stagnation zone with moisture content close to saturation. The high interlayer may form a discontinuous corrugated capillary zone. Thus, when the wetting front reaches the coarse-grain (lower)?fine-grain (upper) interface, the anti-capillary barrier effect results in more moisture in the upper layer. Thus, when the wetting front of the capillary water reaches the fine-grain (upper)?coarse-grain (lower) in-terface, the capillary barrier effect causes the moisture content of the upper tailings to decreases sharply because of the horizontal movement of the water in the fine medium. It is clear that the presence of lenticles can retard the rise of capillary water by storing water.