With the ever-increasing population and depleting resources, it becomes extremely critical to take care of the current resources to ensure a better, more sustainable future. As the human population is on a continuous rise, there have been concerns about not having enough resources in the future for the generations to survive with ease and comfort. One such resource is water, which is heavily exploited, polluted, and not paid enough attention.
Today, we are particularly focusing on Groundwater, which is an exceptionally important resource. Groundwater is responsible for irrigation, drinking, and even industrial use. As we are focusing on sustainability, it is important to monitor it accurately; either manually or automatically. In fact, it has become a mandatory requirement at various places all over the world to monitor and recharge the groundwater level, also known as the water table.
Before we forward, let’s have a look at why groundwater is important.
Why is Groundwater important?
Let’s face the obvious answer; water is essential for survival, right from cooking, cleaning, to ensuring a healthy working of our body. Groundwater is responsible for 30% of all the world’s freshwater while the rest of the 70% is bound up in snow and ice in the mountain or polar regions, and 0.2% makes up for the lakes, streams, or rivers. Even the rivers and lakes are largely supported by the groundwater so it won’t be wrong to say that almost all the water we use for essential purposes comes from the groundwater.
Apart from being the only resource from where we get our water needs, it also supports the lakes and rivers through the drier months, and seeps through the river bed, providing the home for all the wildlife and plants that live in the water.
It is also essential to notice that groundwater requires less treatment than the river water, making it safer and economical to be consumed. As it flows through the soil and rocks, the foreign objects like pollutants and impurities are naturally removed.
Now that you understand the importance and significance of groundwater, you might have a glimpse of how important groundwater monitoring is.
Next, we are going to talk about the different instruments that Encardio-rite offers for a seamless and efficient groundwater monitoring. These include the most sophisticated to the most simple ones, to be used either manually or automatically.
Let’s get started.
Manual Groundwater Monitoring
Standpipe for Groundwater Monitoring (Model EPP-10SP)
Encardio-rite Model EPP-10SP Standpipe is a geotechnical instrument curated for the measurement of groundwater level and its variation over a period of time. Equipped with a range of 3m long PVC riser pipes which are approximately 50mm in diameter, the instrument also features an in-built socket at one end for jointing.
The intake point of the standpipe makes use of the same diameter PVC slotted pipe, which is fixed at the bottom of the pipe assembly. The slotted pipe is coated with geotextile to limit any ingress of solid particles, with the bottom end of the pipe being plugged with a suitable PVC Cap.
Once done, the sensor is placed in a 100mm diameter borehole that is drilled into the soil/foundation at a level deeper than the maximum expected groundwater level. The Groundwater moves into the riser pipe from the slotted end and reaches the same level as it is equal to the groundwater at that particular location.
Have a look at the image below to understand the assembly and installation layout of the Standpipe.
Casagrande piezometer for monitoring piezometric pressure (Model EPP-10)
Before we start with how the Casagrande Piezometer works, let’s see how piezometric/pore pressure aligns with groundwater monitoring.
The Pore Water Pressure is described as the pressure that is endured by the water contained in the pores of earth materials, concrete structures or rock. The measurement of pore water pressure, also known as piezometric pressure, is important for groundwater monitoring. This allows us to determine the level and flow pattern of the ...[Continue Reading]
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