11.

3 Water Underground
p. 378-381

Objectives
Describe springs and how water

moves through underground layers of soil and rock. Explain what an aquifer is and how people obtain water from an aquifer.

Engage/Explore
Spring water
What was the

original source of this water?

Where does the

water in springs and wells come from?

Discover - Where Does the Water Go?

Clear jar, pebbles,

sand, water P. 378

Introduction
P. 378
Digging a hole

Underground Layers
Where does underground water come

from? Answer: Precipitation that soaks in the ground and trickles downward.
Water underground trickles down

between particles of sol and through cracks and spaces in layers of rock.

 Pores - different types of rock and

soil have different-sized spaces. Permeable - materials that allow water to easily pass through or permeate. Examples of permeable materials are sand and gravel.

 Impermeable - materials that water

cannot pass through easily. Examples of impermeable materials are clay and granite. Saturated zone - the area of permeable rock or soil tat is totally filled or saturated with water.

 Water table - the top of the

saturated zone. Unsaturated zone - the layer of rocks and soil above the water table.

Layers Underground
What is different

about the pores in the two pictures? Which picture represents a permeable rock layer? In this picture how do the pores differ above and below the water table?

Aquifers
Aquifer - any

underground layer of rock or sediment that holds water. Size - small underground patch of to an area the size of several states.

Aquifers
The huge Ogallala

aquifer lies beneath the plains of the west, from S. Dakota to Texas. It provides drinking water and water for crops and livestock.

Aquifers
The water in aquifer moves only a

few centimeters a day which equals out to be about 10 meters a year. The movement depends largely on how steeply the aquifer slopes and how permeable the rocks are.

Wells
People can obtain

groundwater from an aquifer by drilling a well below the water table. Fig. 12 - Compare the well and dry well.

Wells
History of wells
Dug by hand Lined with brick or

stone to keep the walls from collapsing. Lowered and raised a bucket to brink up water. Today, most are dug with well-drilling equipment.

Wells
Pumping water out of an aquifer

lowers the water level near the well. If too much water is pumped out too fast, the well may run dry. Then it may be necessary to dig deeper to reach the lowered water table or to wait for rainfall to refill the aquifer.

Wells
Recharge - New water that enters

the aquifer from the surface. Artesian well - a well in which water rises because of pressure within the aquifer.

Bringing Groundwater to the Surface

Springs - where the

water table meets the ground surface, groundwater bubbles or flows out of cracks in the rock in places.