Groundwater
Engineering
CE 583
Lecture 2
Anthropogenic effects on the hydrologic cycle
Concrete roads and buildings impede
water absorption and underground
flows.
Wells and boreholes that deplete wells
at rates higher than they can naturally
be recharged, and that tap into
ancient aquifers that can never be
recharged by precipitation.
Destruction of plant ecosystems
responsible for the health of the water
cycle. 2
Water resources
sustainability
According to Mays (2007) water
resources sustainability may be defined
as:
‘water resources sustainability is the
ability to use water in sufficient
quantities and quality from the local to
the global scale to meet the needs of
humans and ecosystems for the present
and the future to sustain life, and to
protect humans from the damages
brought by natural and human-caused
3
Utilization of ground water
Ground water is an important source of
water supply throughout the world. Its
use in irrigation, industries,
municipalities, and rural homes
continues to increase.
Shortages of ground water in areas of
excessive draft emphasize the
importance of correct estimates and
proper development, regulation, and
protection of supplies in order to insure
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the continued availability of this key
Groundwater use in USA
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Basic principles of fluid flow
The flow of water within a soil mass depends,
by and large, on the soil porosity, in other
words on the space between the soils
particles.
A flow of water within a porous medium occurs
when there is an energy imbalance, in which
case, water flows from the high level energy
towards the low level energy.
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CHAPTER 2
OCCURRENCE OF
GROUNDWATER
Occurrence of groundwater
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Partition of Groundwater
Soil water: The water stored in the upper
layers of the soil from the ground surface
up to the extent of roots of plants.
Vadose water: That stored below in the
region between soil water zone and the
capillary fringe. It is a link between water
infiltrating from the ground surface and
moving down to the saturated layer of
ground water
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Capillary water: That which has risen
from the saturated ground water region due
to capillary action. Naturally, the pressure
here would be less than atmospheric.
Ground water: This is the water in the
fully saturated zone. Pressure of water here
would be more than atmospheric.
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Occurrence of groundwater
1. Origin of groundwater
2. Rock properties affecting
groundwater
3. Vertical system distribution of
groundwater
4. Zone of aeration
5. Zone of saturation
6. Geologic formations as aquifers
7. Storage coefficient
8. Groundwater basins
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Origin of groundwater
The origin of groundwater is primarily
one of the following:
Groundwater derived from rainfall and
infiltration within the normal
hydrological cycle. This kind of water is
called meteoric water. The name
implies recent contact with the
atmosphere.
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Origin of groundwater
Groundwater encountered at great
depths in sedimentary rocks as a
result of water having been trapped in
marine sediments at the time of their
deposition. This type of groundwater is
referred to as connate waters.
These waters are normally saline. It is
accepted that connate water is
derived mainly or entirely from
entrapped sea water as original sea
water has moved from its original
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Origin of groundwater
Fossil water if fresh may be
originated from the fact of climate
change phenomenon, i.e., some
areas used to have wet weather
and the aquifers of that area were
recharged and then the weather of
that area becomes dry.
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Rock properties affecting
groundwater
The movement of groundwater mainly
depends on rock and sediment properties and
the groundwater’s flow potential. Porosity,
permeability, specific yield and specific
retention are important properties of rock
which significantly controls the groundwater
flow.
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Soil /rock composition
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Soil /rock composition
Ww
100
Water content
Ws
Porosity Vv
V
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Soil /rock composition
Vv
Voids ratio
e
Vs
Degree of saturation
Sr 100
w
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Soil /rock composition
Unit weight
W
V
Ws
Unit weight of solid
s
Vs
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Soil /rock composition
Wsat
sat
Saturated unit weight
V
sub sat w
Submerged unit weight
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Soil /rock composition
s
Specific gravity Gs
w
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example
An undisturbed sample of a medium sand
weights 484.68 g. The core of the undisturbed
sample is 6 cm in diameter and 10.61 cm high.
The sample is oven-dried for 24 hrs at 110C to
remove the water content. At the end of the
24 hrs, the core sample weights 447.32 g.
determine the bulk density, void ratio, water
content, porosity, and saturation percentage
of the sample.
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solution
𝜋 2
𝑉 = 𝐷 𝐻
4
𝑚𝑑
𝜌 𝑑=
𝑉
𝑚𝑏 − 𝑚 𝑑
𝜔= × 100
𝑚𝑑
Volu? Suppose the specific gravity of sand as ,
= 2.65 23
solution
𝑚𝑑
𝑉 𝑠=
𝛾𝑠
𝑉 𝑣 =𝑉 − 𝑉 𝑠
𝑉 𝑣
𝑒=
𝑉 𝑠
𝜔 𝐺𝑠
𝑆𝑟=
𝑒
24
solution
𝑚𝑏 =¿ 484.68 g
𝑚𝑑 =¿ 447.32 g
D= 6 cm
H= 10.61 cm
V= 300.0 cm3
𝜌 𝑑=¿ 1.491 g/cm3
w= 8.352 %
Vs = 168.8 cm3
Vv = 131.2 cm3
e= 0.78
Sr = 28.48
25 %
