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Practical Effects of Movement
of Water through Soil –
Seepage, Drainage,
Contamination
Seepage
Seepage is the flow of a fluid through soil
pores. When the seepage velocity is great
enough erosion can occur because of the
frictional drag exerted on the soil particles.
Vertically upwards seepage is a source of
danger on the downstream side of sheet
piling and beneath the toe of a dam or
levee. Erosion of the soil, known as
"piping", can lead to failure of the structure
and to sinkhole formation.
In cases where the hydraulic gradient is
equal to or greater than the critical
gradient (i.e. when the water pressure in
the soil is equal to the total vertical
stress at a point), effective stress is
reduced to zero.
The handling of mobile and stationary underground
water during construction operations and making
provisions so that the effects of its presence will not
interfere with the function of completed structures
are of vital concern to the construction profession
Seeping water removes soil, starting from the
exit point of the seepage, and erosion
advances upgradient. The term sand boil is
used to describe the appearance of the
discharging end of an active soil pipe.
Seepage in an upward direction reduces the
effective stress within soil.
When this occurs in a non-cohesive soil,
a "quick" condition is reached and the
soil becomes a heavy fluid (i.e.
liquefaction has occurred). Quicksand
was so named because the soil particles
move around and appear to be 'alive’.
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Flow Nets
Where the zones of flow or directions of
flow are irregular, where water enters and
escapes from a permeable zone of soil
traveling a short distance, or where the flow
boundaries are not well-defined, it may be
necessary to use flow nets to evaluate flow.
Flow nets are a pictorial method of studying
the path that moving water flows.
Uplift Forces
For the problem of seepage beneath a
structure such as a dam, the uplift force
acting on the base of the structure because
of this seepage can be evaluated from the
flow net.
Drainage
Among the common problems in construction work is the need
to handle subsurface water encountered during the construction
sequence, and to handle subsurface water after construction so that
the completed facility is no damaged nor its usefulness is impaired.
During construction, lowering of the groundwater table and
removal of water from working areas is desirable from the standpoint
of better working conditions for workers and equipment.
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For a condition of laminar flow, the path that
the water follows can be represented by flow
lines. In moving between two points, water
tends to travel the shortest distance. If changes
in direction occur, the changes take place along
smooth curved paths. A series of flow lines to
represent flow through a soil mass would be
parallel except where a change in the size of an
area through which flow occurs takes place.
Practical Considerations
The correct drawing of a flow net can be a tedious operation
particularly in the case of nonuniform soil conditions. Fortunately
even crudely drawn flow nets can provide reliable information on
quantities of seepage and uplift pressures. For flow nets, as well as
for seepage studies, it should be expected that there will be a
variation in the coefficient of permeability for the soil in the seepage
zone under study.
Conditions at some locations require that the structure be
protected from erosive effects of flowing groundwater to prevent the
loss of foundation stability.
Conditions Requiring Drainage
In planning excavations for construction projects that extend
below the water table in soils where the permeability is greater than
about 0.00005 ft/min, it is generally anticipated that at least some
continuous drainage or dewatering procedures will be required if the
work area is to be kept dry for construction.
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Research work:
1. Different methods of dewatering
shallow and deep excavations
2. The use of geosynthetics for all
drainage, filtration and separation
designs
The concern over soil contamination stems
primarily from health risks, from direct contact with
the contaminated soil, vapors from the
contaminants, and from secondary contamination
of water supplies within and underlying the soil.
Mapping of contaminated soil sites and the
resulting cleanup are time consuming and
expensive tasks, requiring extensive amounts of
geology, hydrology, chemistry and computer
modeling skills.
Hazardous water pollution
There are many hazards posed by these toxins that leach into
the ground. If a well gets contaminated, it can ruin water used for
drinking, bathing, washing and even for agricultural irrigation.
Depending on the type of soil and the terrain, pollutants can travel
for long distances or be focused in a small area. For instance, a hard-
pan or rocky surface might allow contaminated groundwater to flow
for some distance before it seeps into softer soil at which point it
may enter a larger aquifer that is commonly found in flat areas and
travel even further. It is for these reasons that soil conditions are
often under such harsh scrutiny during residential and commercial
real estate transactions, especially in areas of sand and softer topsoil.
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Soil and Groundwater Contamination
Soil pollution is caused by the presence of xenobiotic chemicals
or other alteration in the natural soil environment. This type of
contamination typically arises from the rupture of underground
storage tanks, application of pesticides, percolation of contaminated
surface water to subsurface strata, oil and fuel dumping, leaching of
wastes from landfills or direct discharge of industrial wastes to the
soil. The most common chemicals involved are petroleum
hydrocarbons, solvents, pesticides, lead and other heavy metals.
Groundwater Contamination
When the source of this water is contaminated,
pollutants can sink into the aquifer and remain there for
years. This polluted water can come from surrounding
lakes and streams or when chemicals and fertilizers leave
the topsoil - this is called "storm water drainage" or
"runoff." Contaminated groundwater is hazardous to the
environment. If you own land and have to go through the
expensive and unsightly process of cleaning up
groundwater contamination, you might need an
environmental attorney to help you fight for damages.
Causes of contamination
Large water pollution problems are usually caused by
manufacturing companies, over -fertilized farms or industrial
transportation accidents. Common contaminants include nitrogen
and phosphorous (from fertilizer) and arsenic. Arsenic is a common
groundwater contaminant that can occur from smelting metal,
mining or burning large amounts of fossil fuel. Smaller examples of
contamination include the improper disposal of petroleum products
like motor oil, a malfunctioning septic tank, a leaking underground
pipe, underground storage tanks (UST), pesticides, detergents and
paint. Deep wells are usually safer then shallow dug wells. A deep
well can go below impermeable layers of clay that usually block out
most local contaminants. However, even a deep well is vulnerable;
the water in confined aquifers near the bedrock still comes from
somewhere on the surface.