33.4. Groundwater Movement

Try these first

1. 1.

   What does Darcy's Law describe?

   Hint

   Remember it relates flow rate to how steep the water table is.

2. 2.

   List the two main components of hydraulic head.

   Hint

   Think about potential energy and where the water is located.

3. 3.

   What is Darcy's Law used to calculate?

   • The amount of water stored
   • The speed of groundwater flow
   • The surface tension of water

   Hint

   Think about what flow means.

4. 4.

   True or False: Hydraulic head is the sum of elevation and pressure heads.

   • True
   • False

   Hint

   Remember the definition of hydraulic head.

5. 5.

   Given a sandy aquifer with a hydraulic conductivity of 10 m/s and a hydraulic gradient of 0.05, what is the discharge per square meter?

   Hint

   Use the formula and substitute the values carefully.

6. 6.

   Discuss how changing land use, such as urbanization, could influence hydraulic gradients in a specific area.

   Hint

   Think about how concrete affects water flow.