6-5.

Movement of Soil Moisture

Infiltration is the movement of water through the soil surface into the soil as
distinguished from percolation, the movement of water through the soil.
Movement of moisture in soil is governed by the equation

q=-K

A
x

where q- flow per unit area

K-conductivity
A- Potential
MOISTURE IN THE PHREATIC ZONE

6-6 Aquifers
Aquifer- a geologic formation which contains water and transmits it from one point
to another in quantities sufficient to permit economic development.
Aquiclude- formation which contains water but cannot transmit it rapidly enough to
furnish significant supply to a well or spring.
Aquifuge- has no interconnected openings and cannot hold or transmit water.
Porosity- the ratio of the pore volume to the total volume of the formation
Original porosity- existed at the time the material was formed.
Secondary porosity- results from factures and solutions channels
Specific yield- the ratio of the water which will drain freely from the material to the
total volume of the formation and is always less than the porosity.

6-7 movement of groundwater

Darcy Law

v =ks

v - velocity of flow
k - coefficient having the units of

( meters per day)

s - slope of the hydraulic gradient

q=kpAs=KA s

eq. (6-4)

K Coefficient f permeability or the hydraulic conductivity

K=k

k - intrinsic permeability

w - specific weight of the fluid

w
w
=Cd2

 - absolute viscosity
C factor involving the shape, packing, porosity, and other characteristic of the
medium
d- average size of the medium
The intrinsic permeability is expressed in darcys, which have the dimensions of
area. The hydraulic conductivity K has the dimensions of velocity and is stated in a
variety of units by different disciplines and different countries.
It is convenient to use the transmissibility T to represent the flow rate per day
through unit area under unit hydraulic gradient :

T =K Y

saturated thickness of the aquifer

Eq. (6-4) becomes

q=TB s

width of the aquifer