Groundwater

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Aquifer TerminologyAquifer Terminology

Potentiometric SurfacePotentiometric Surface – the level to which water from a confined aquifer will rise if given the chance (e.g., by drilling a well through the confining layer).

unconfined aquifer

confined aquifer

aquicude

Groundwater ModelGroundwater Model

underwater storage tankwell 1 well 2 stream or lake

Water Table and Potentiometric SurfaceWater Table and Potentiometric Surface

Water table - in unconfined aquifer, the border between the saturated and unsaturated zonesPotentiometric Surface - level to which water from a confined aquifer will rise if given a chance. Determined by pressure in confined aquifer.

unconfined aquifer

confined aquifer

aquicude

Both the surfaces are dynamic, changing with the amount of water flow through the system

Water Table and Potentiometric SurfaceWater Table and Potentiometric Surface

Both the surfaces are dynamic, changing with the amount of water flow through the system

Water Table and Potentiometric SurfaceWater Table and Potentiometric Surface

Groundwater ContaminationGroundwater Contamination

contaminant in underground tank

Contaminant - any material that can be moved through groundwater

Groundwater ContaminationGroundwater Contamination

In groundwater with no flow, the contaminant will move through water by diffusion (from high concentration to low concentration)

Groundwater ContaminationGroundwater Contamination

In more realistic model (e.g., in which water flows out at stream) the contaminant will flow with the water, making a pollution plume.

Groundwater ContaminationGroundwater Contamination

Pumping of Well 1 results in a cone of depression in water table, and thus the pumping of the contaminant up the well.

Well 1 cone of depression