Groundwater

Groundwater is freshwater found in the rock and

soil layers beneath the surface. The groundwater
is the largest reservoir of liquid fresh water on
Earth. It constitutes about 30.1% of the total
freshwater on the planet. Water-bearing rock
layers called aquifers are akin to a “sponge”
which holds groundwater in tiny cracks, cavities,
and pores between mineral grains.
Porosity is the total amount of empty pore
spaces in the rock. It determines the amount of
groundwater that an aquifer can hold. Loose
materials such as sand and gravel have high
porosity and can hold large amount of water.
Crystalline rocks such as basalt and diorite
have low porosity.
a water-bearing permeable rock, sand, or gravel
The movement of groundwater within the aquifer
is also controlled by the permeability of the
material. Permeability is the ability of the rock or
sediments to allow water to pass through it. In
permeable materials, the pore spaces are
interconnected throughout the rock, allowing the
free-flow of groundwater. Porous materials do not
necessarily have high permeability. Clay and mud
are porous materials but have low permeability.
Sandstone, conglomerate, limestone, loose sand,
and highly fractured rocks are examples of
materials with moderate to high permeability
and make good aquifers.
 Modern Purifying Methods
During disasters, such as earthquake or
severe typhoon, water sources are severely
impacted and often become contaminated. In
times of calamities, available water needs to
be purified before consumption. The first
step is to clean the water by removing the
suspended particles using filters such as
coffee filter, fine-mesh stocking, or several
layers of cloth.
The next step is to purify the water to
remove bacteria. The best purification
method is boiling for at least 10 minutes.
Add two
Another to four
method drops
is to of bleach for
use water
purification
every litertablets
of water.that are
Letavailable
the waterin
pharmaceutical stores.
stand for 30 minutes. Unscented bleach
composed of sodium hypochlorite can also
be used to purify the water.
Water can also be purified using solar
energy. Put the water in a clear two-liter
plastic bottle and expose it to the sun for six
hours. The UV-A rays in sunlight kill germs,
viruses, bacteria, and
parasites (Giardia and Cryptosporidia).
 Groundwater Profile
When a well is excavated in the ground, the
first layer encountered is the moist soil layer
on the surface. Beneath this is a zone in
which the spaces between the particles are
filled mainly with air.
This is called the zone of aeration or
unsaturated zone.
The layer beneath the zone of aeration is
the zone of saturation. In this layer, the spaces
between the particles are filled with water.
The boundary between the Zone of aeration
and the zone of saturation is the water table.
Directly above the water table is a layer
called capillary fringe, wherein groundwater
seeps up to fill the pore spaces in the zone of
aeration via capillary action.
the force of adhesion between a solid and a liquid in capillarity
During wet season, the water table is found
at shallow depths. It migrates deeper below
the ground during the dry season, resulting
to the drying of shallow wells.
 Groundwater-Stream Relationship
There is an interaction between groundwater
flow and stream flow. There are streams that
lose water downstream and dry up. In this type
of stream, the water flows underground and
contributes to the groundwater. This type of
stream is called losing or influent stream.
In contrast, there are also streams that are fed
by groundwater. gaining or effluent stream
A stream or segments of large streams could
either be gaining or losing depending on the
amount of available water. For example, during
dry seasons, the lower part of the stream could
dry up and becomes a losing stream; when there
is abundant water in the wet season, it will flow
again as a gaining stream.
 Activities Affecting the Quality of Water
Throughout the world, there is an increasing
pressure in Earth’s water resources. This is
mainly due to how human activities have sped
up and caused climate change and variations in
natural conditions. The human activities
affecting water resources include
the
3.
4.
5. following:
1. Pollution
2. Demands
Increased
Population
Movement from
for
competition
of
growth,
greater
large
factories,
number
particularly
food
between
cities,
security
of people
and
different
in water-
and
farmlands
from
higher
uses
living
of
short
thewater
countryside
regions
standards
resources
to towns and cities
The degradation of ecosystems is one of the
serious threats, which occur due to changes in
landscapes—deforestation, conversion of natural
landscapes into farm or residential areas, urban
growth, road-building, and surface mining.
These activities have led to too much soil and
sediments delivered to streams in a process of
sedimentation. Mining of certain metals have also
caused surface water to become acidic, producing
a discharge called acid mine drainage.
 to make slow or difficult the
Improper waste disposal contributesprogress
significantly to the degradation of streams and
lakes in urban areas. These result to damages in
the aquatic ecosystems, impairs water quality,
and hinders water transport in large bodies of
inland waters.
In the Philippines, the wetlands along Pampanga
River and in the coastal areas of Manila Bay in
Bulacan are converted into fishponds for
aquaculture. This permanently alters the
wetland ecosystem and aggravates flooding.
Wastes produced by human activities pollute the
air, land, and water. They affect rainwater and
water resources both surface and underground.
The sources of freshwater pollution
include industrial wastes, sewage, runoff from
farmlands, cities, and factory effluents, and the
build-up of sediment
Emissions from factories and vehicles also
pollute the atmospheric water and results to
acid rain.
Overexploitation of the surface and
groundwater resources often causes
irreversible effects. Lakes and streams have
dried up in some regions due to excessive water
withdrawal and improper management.