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| Groundwater Basics
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Exploiting groundwater
 To
use groundwater we need to reach it. The simplest way to exploit
groundwater is to wait till it comes to the surface as a spring,
and capture water at this point. Spring sources are widely used,
and are often ‘improved’ by building channels to
protect the supply and lead it to a convenient watering point.
A simple alternative to a spring is a well, used when groundwater
is close to the surface. A well is normally a vertical shaft,
wide enough to allow access for a man to dig. It may be excavated
by hand or with simple machinery. Deeper waters can be exploited
by drilling a borehole; these tend to be smaller diameter than
a well, and are drilled using a drilling rig. There are many
different designs of rig, but they commonly use a mechanically
operated chisel to break up the rock and water or air to flush
the chippings to the surface. Confusingly the two words, well
and borehole, are often used together or interchangeably.
To raise groundwater to the surface we need to pump the water
up from the well or borehole. Much of the early technological
development of steam engines in Britain was driven by the need
to find efficient ways of pumping water from mine shafts, and
in Victorian times groundwater pumping stations were often ornate
buildings housing magnificent beam engines. Today pumps are
usually electrically driven, and by installing the pumps and
their motors in the well or borehole, no surface buildings are
required. |
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