Water Table Depth

When water loving plants start to grow again in the spring and precipitation.

Water table depth. Estimated depth to ground water and configuration of the water table in the portland oregon area report us. A perched water table or perched aquifer is an aquifer that occurs above the regional water table in the vadose zone. The depth to the water table can change rise or fall depending on the time of year. The depth of the water table can be measured in existing wells to determine the effects of season climate or human impact on groundwater. Measurements of the depth below the ground surface of the water table or its height above sea level are a key dataset for understanding groundwater. A detailed collection of online atlases and maps with information on the states water resources including depth to groundwater garden bore suitability geology and proclaimed management areas.

If water is not extracted through a well in a sustainable manner the water table may drop permanently. Whenever it rains water drains through the soil until it reaches the point in the earth that is saturated with water and moves no further. The design of subsurface drainage systems in terms layout depth and spacing of the drains is often done using subsurface drainage equations with parameters like drain depth depth of the water table soil depth hydraulic conductivity of the soil and drain discharge. Multiple holes may be dug for greater accuracy. Geological survey 2008 study providing a detailed example of how water table determination can be conducted on a range of scales and how this is used for issues such as water planning and civil engineering projects. The level that water began to enter the hole or the level to which it fills it is the water table level.

During the late winter and spring when accumulated snow starts to melt and spring rainfall is plentiful water on the surface infiltrates into the ground and the water table rises. Make note of this depth. The water table does not always mimic the topography due to variations in the underlying geological structure eg folded faulted fractured bedrock. Allow the hole to settle and observe if water fills the hole within 1 hour. The drain discharge is found from an agricultural water balance. The depth of your water table largely depends on the material that the earth underneath you is composed of and the amount of precipitation available.

The water table can actually be mapped across regions using measurements taken from wells.