UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHEASTERN PHILIPPINES

Iñigo St,. Bo. Obrero, Davao City

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
Civil Engineering Department

CEC 325
Hydrology

NAME: GLEN VINCENT S. ISRAEL DATE: June 8, 2021

Assessment 2

I) Discuss about groundwater.

Groundwater is one of the bodies of water that is found beneath the ground
surface in the saturated zone. It is usually refilled by rainwater or from water that
leaks from the bottom of lakes and rivers. The water table may lie deep or shallow
depending on several factors such as the physical characteristics of the region, the
meteorological conditions and the recharge and exploitation rates. Heavy rains may
increase recharge and cause the water table to rise. But on the other hand, an
extended period of dry weather may cause the water table to fall.
Groundwater represents about 30% of world’s fresh water. Groundwater is a
very important natural resource because it is the main source of water for irrigation
and the food industry. In general groundwater is a reliable source of water for the
agriculture and can be used in a flexible manner: when it’s dry and there is larger
demand more groundwater can be extracted and when the rain fall meets the
necessities, less groundwater will need to be extracted. More than that, groundwater
plays a very important role in keeping the water level and flow into rivers, lakes and
wetlands. Specially during the drier months when there is little direct recharge from
rainfall, it provides the environment with groundwater flow through the bottom of
these water bodies and becomes essential for the wild life and plants living in these
environments. Groundwater also plays a very relevant role in sustain navigation
through inland waters in the drier seasons. By discharging groundwater into the
rivers, it helps keeping the water levels higher.

II) Discuss about aquifer.

Aquifer is a body of saturated rock through which water can easily move. An
aquifer is filled with moving water and the amount of water in storage in the aquifer
can vary from season to season and year to year. A well is a hole drilled into the
ground to penetrate an aquifer. Normally such water must be pumped to the surface.
If water is pumped from a well faster than it is replenished, the water table is lowered
and the well may go dry. When water is pumped from a well, the water table is
generally lowered into a cone of depression at the well.
Aquifers are natural filters that trap sediment and other particles (like
bacteria) and provide natural purification of the ground water flowing through them.
Clay particles and other mineral surfaces in an aquifer also can trap dissolved
substances or at least slow them down so they don't move as fast as water
percolating through the aquifer. Natural filtration in soils is very important in
recharge areas and in irrigated areas above unconfined aquifers, where water applied
at the surface can percolate through the soil to the water table.
III) Discuss about subsidence.
Subsidence is the sinking of the ground because of the underground material
movement such as natural gas, water, oil and every mineral resource that can be
taken from the ground through pumping and mining activities. This happens also by
natural causes such as cohesive soils shrinking and swelling in which the soils shrink
due to its moisture content. Also, the decomposition of soil will cause ground
movement.
Subsidence can cause permanent inundation of land, flooding, it can also
change topographic gradients, ruptures the land surface and also reduces the
capacity of aquifers to store water.