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GROUNDWATER
Presented by Group 1
Learning Objectives:
At the end of this lesson, students are expected to:
a. Recognize that groundwater is a vital source of

accessible fresh water.
b. Describe how does the ground form water.
c. Describe how the movement of groundwater through
soluble rock creates caverns.
d. Recognize the Environmental Problems related to
groundwater.
Groundwater
- is a fresh water that has
travelled down from the soil
surface and collected in the
tiny spaces (pores) between
sediments and the cracks
within rock.
- it can stay underground for
hundreds of thousands of years,
or it can come to the surface
and help fill rivers, streams,
lakes, ponds, and wetlands.
- can also come to the surface as

- occurs almost everywhere
beneath Earth’s surface and is a
major source of water worldwide.
- is a valuable natural resource

that provides about half of our
drinking water. Also, our
municipal, domestic, and
agricultural water supply is
groundwater.
Where Does Groundwater
Came From?
- Groundwater comes from
rainfall entering the soil
(infiltration).
- As water moves across the

surface of the earth, it begins
to soak into the ground.
- The water continues to move
downward to fill open spaces in
sediments and rocks.
- The area where large amounts

of water enter the ground is
called saturated zone.
- The depth at which soil pore spaces
or fractures and voids in rock become
completely saturated with water is
called the water table.
- Aquifers are underground areas that

store water.
- The amount of time that groundwater

remains in aquifers is called its
residence time.
-
Is Water Really Moving
Below The Surface?
The water constantly moving beneath
the surface of the Earth. The rate of
movement is determined by two key
factors:
• Porosity- the percentage of pore

spaces within rock.
• Permeable- a material's ability to

transmit fluid.
What else is under the
surface?
Two other key structures are found
underground:
• Aquitards- impermeable layers of the

crust, may be rock or clay ( very small
particle that prevent water
movement).
• Aquifers- permeable rock layers that

allows water to move freely.
Geologic Importance of
Groundwater
- Groundwater is important as an
erosional agent.
- Dissolving action of
groundwater slowly removes
soluble rock such as limestone,
allowing surface depressions
known as sinkholes to form and
creating subterranean caverns.
- Groundwater is an equalizer
of stream flow.
- Groundwater is a form of
storage that sustains streams
during periods when rain does
not fall.
The Distribution of
Groundwater
- The study of the distribution and
movement of groundwater is
hydrogeology, also called
groundwater hydrology.
- When rain falls on Earth’s land

surface, some of the water runs off,
some returns to the atmosphere by
evaporation and transpiration, and
the remainder soaks into the ground.
Groundwater
Flow System
Groundwater flow system
refers to the movement of
water through the subsurface.
It is a complex process that

involves many factors such as
geology, climate, and human
activities.
Wells
The most common method for
removing groundwater is to use a
well, a hole bored into the zone of
saturation. Wells serve as small
reservoirs into which groundwater
migrates and from which it can be
pumped to the surface. The use of
wells dates back many centuries
and continues to be an important
method of obtaining water today.
The water table level may fluctuate considerably during
the course of a year, dropping during dry periods and
rising following periods of rain. Therefore, to ensure a
continuous supply of water, a well must penetrate below
the water table. Whenever water is withdrawn from a well,
the water table around the well is lowered. This effect,
termed drawdown, decreases with increasing distance
from the well. The result is a depression in the water table,
roughly conical in shape, known as a cone of depression.
Evironmental Problems
1 . Mining Groundwater
- The removal of groundwater at a rate
faster than that at which it can be
replaced. As a consequence, aquifers
are often intensively exploited and
some of them subjected to continuous
depletion of their reserves.
2. Subsidence
- The ground may also sink when water is pumped
from wells faster than natural recharge
processes can replace it. As the water is
withdrawn, the water pressure drops, and the
weight of the overburden is transferred to the
sediment. The greater pressure packs the
sediment grains tightly together, and the ground
subsides.
3. Saltwater Contamination
- Saltwater contamination is the
movement of saltwater into
underground sources (aquifers) of
freshwater, which can occur in coastal
regions or inland, and the surface
movement of saltwater inland from
the coast.
4. GroundwaterContamination
- Groundwater contamination occurs

when get into the groundwater and
cause it to become unsafe and unfit for
human use. One common source of
groundwater pollution is sewage. Its
sources include an ever-increasing
number of septic tanks, as well as
inadequate or broken sewer systems
and farm wastes.
Any Question?

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GROUNDWATER

a. Recognize that groundwater is a vital source of

- can also come to the surface as

- is a valuable natural resource

- As water moves across the

- The area where large amounts

- Aquifers are underground areas that

- The amount of time that groundwater

• Porosity- the percentage of pore

• Permeable- a material's ability to

• Aquitards- impermeable layers of the

• Aquifers- permeable rock layers that

- When rain falls on Earth’s land

It is a complex process that

- Groundwater contamination occurs

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