Everyone has heard of groundwater. Yet not everyone knows exactly what groundwater is. Let alone know what a groundwater system is and what differences there are in groundwater systems. This article provides more clarity about the structure of groundwater systems.
Groundwater
Groundwater is water that occurs in the water-saturated zone of the soil. Free groundwater is referred to when the groundwater can flow under the influence of height differences. Sometimes water management measures are applied to the groundwater. Humans influence the groundwater by determining the height of exfiltration and roadside areas. This is a semi forced groundwater system. There are also forced groundwater systems. This water system is actively monitored for groundwater flows. Extraction and / or infiltration well and well dewatering pumps are used for this. So people determine the flow of the groundwater.
Groundwater systems
There are three groundwater systems. These systems differ greatly in size and dynamics. The three levels of the groundwater system are as follows:
The highest level is the regional groundwater system. With this system, the infiltration area borders the watershed. The seepage area is located in a stream valley or in a deep polder near the regional water system. The regional groundwater systems are located in great depths underground and extend for many kilometers.
After the regional groundwater system comes the local groundwater system. In a local groundwater system, a part of the regional groundwater system is highlighted, as it were. In this system seepage and infiltration areas border each other. The groundwater here flows less deeply than in the regional groundwater system. The water also remains shorter than with the regional groundwater systems. The maximum water remains for several decades. The local groundwater system also extends less far than the regional groundwater system, usually a few kilometers.
The smallest level is the level of the pitch. This is an area of a few meters and little depth, often this level is a point in a landscape. The pitch level is an area from the local groundwater system that has been highlighted.
It is important to know that the regional (and therefore the highest) groundwater system does influence the local groundwater system and the groundwater system, but the location and local groundwater system have no influence on the regional groundwater system. The smaller systems fall under the large system and so it can only affect the systems. So it can actually be seen as follows: A smaller part of the regional groundwater system, the local groundwater system, is highlighted. So it’s still about the regional system, only a small part of it. The standard level is slightly different from the local groundwater system, so this also falls under the local and regional groundwater system, but it concerns a much smaller area.
In short, there are 3 groundwater systems in which the highest system influences the lower, but not the other way around. There are also 3 types of groundwater, namely: free groundwater, semi-forced groundwater and forced groundwater. Nowadays people have a lot of influence on groundwater.