GROUNDWATER DEVELOPMENT

Groundwater has always been considered to be a readily available source of water for domestic,
agricultural and industrial use. In many parts of the world, groundwater extracted for a variety of
purposes has made a major contribution to the improvement of the social and economic circumstances
of human beings. Management strategies have been focused on the development of groundwater
resource while projects of various types and scales have been developed and managed in response to
the growing demand for water by communities and industries. In spite of bringing many benefits, with
the increase in demand, this resource is being overexploited in many areas resulting in a permanent
depletion of the aquifer system and associated environmental consequences like land subsidence and
water quality deterioration. Moreover, with changes in land use and a vast increase in the quantities
and types of industrial, agricultural and domestic effluent entering the hydrological cycle, a gradual

decline in water quality is observed due to surface and subsurface pollution.

Groundwater development is designed to satisfy a certain demand of water or to assess the

groundwater resources of a watershed. Therefore, it comprises the following highly interrelated phases:

A. Surveying
B. Construction of abstraction systems
C. Design Construction, operation and optimization of monitoring networks
D. Mathematical modeling

A) Surveying is the initial stage of any groundwater exploitation system and primarily deals with
the identification of the perspective zones. Broad use is made at this stage of geological,
geomorphological, geophysical and special hydrological methods. Exploration boreholes are
drilled and pumping and permeability tests are developed in order to obtain numeric indices of
groundwater potential. Chemical analysis of water and, sometimes, of rocks and sediments is
also performed in order to clarify the process governing water composition and quality.

B) Construction of abstraction systems where aquifer potential and water quality allows
exploitation is usually the second stage. Wells, trenches and springs are then adequately built
or adapted. Wells are built with the diameter, depth, casing and filters derived from the results
of the surveying phase. Wells and trenches are tested again to define efficiency. In some cases
protection perimeters could be required, and computations are performed for their proper
design. A maintenance program for the abstraction system is identified at this stage.

C) Design, construction, operation and optimization of monitoring networks is the final stage
of a groundwater development program but it does not necessarily or exclusively have to follow
the preceding phase. In effect, when regional studies are performed or when controls of
groundwater regime and quality are required, groundwater monitoring networks are designed,
 constructed and operated to prevent pollution, groundwater level depletion, undesirable side
effects of groundwater exploitation or to control the effectiveness of mitigation or rehabilitation
measures.
D) Mathematical modeling is required to manage groundwater resources. Therefore the

construction of a mathematical model is commonly a phase of groundwater development

linked with the design, operation and optimization of the monitoring network. This stage is
not always necessary, although it can be used in other stages, in order to save time and
money, such as in surveying, or in the reorientation of surveying, in well data processing, in
geochemical hydrodynamics assessments, etc.

CONSIDERATION

Groundwater comes to us mostly clean and free from pollution, but it can become contaminated, making
it unfit for human use. Some of the most common contaminants are gasoline, oil, road salts and
chemicals. One of the biggest sources of groundwater contamination is corroding, cracking or leaking
storage tanks. Experts estimate that more than 10 million storage tanks are buried in the United States
and that more than 20,000 abandoned and uncontrolled hazardous waste sites litter the country.

 In addition to groundwater quality, consider groundwater quantity when making your

development plans. Low and high groundwater levels each come with their own set of issues.
 As our society grows and evolves, shifts in population and changes in land use can deplete
water supplies or result in flooding. The amount of precipitation we receive can also affect
groundwater levels.
 If you plan to construct a well on your development property, groundwater levels might
determine the well you build. Wells pump water from an aquifer, an area that holds a lot of
groundwater. If groundwater levels are low, you'll have the expense of digging a deeper well.
 Deep wells may affect the quality of your water as well. The pumping can cause salt water that
lies deep below the surface to be sucked inland and contaminate the groundwater. Land
subsidence is another issue with low groundwater levels. With no support from water, the land
caves in and sinkholes develop.
 There are also problems with high groundwater levels. Water coming from a shallow well is
more acidic than water from a deeper well, making it more corrosive to plumbing.
 Proper drainage is a crucial consideration in land development. Groundwater can be blocked
from its normal course of flow by new construction and accumulate in the ground. Water close
to the underside of the basement floor can rise up through the slab and cause dampness. If
groundwater levels are higher than the basement floor, water can leak in through the walls and
floor and you'll have standing water. Ideally, a building should be constructed so that even
during rainy seasons the groundwater level is at least 10 feet below the finished ground.
PROBLEMS

Groundwater is often preferred over surface water because of its relative stability in terms of both quality
and quantity. It is the primary source of drinking water for half of the world’s population. In some areas,
groundwater dependence approaches 100 percent (Howard, 2015). In providing water for domestic
use, enabling food production, and sustaining critical ecosystems function groundwater relates to
numerous aspects of human development – including poverty eradication, human dignity and well-being
(Moench, 2003). However, using groundwater for sustainable development faces a paradoxical
challenge. On the other, many areas suffer from underdevelopment of groundwater resources because
of their remote location and/or unaffordable costs of drilling and maintenance of wells/boreholes.

A. Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene

Although groundwater resources themselves are pervasive, it is often the poor who are
the last to benefit from groundwater-sourced water and sanitation because of the
investments needed to access it. Urban and rural settings provide slightly different
challenges in this regard.

In urban settings, large quantities of private wells complicate equitable use and
sustainable management. With regard to quality, concentrated volumes of urban
sewerage or waste can contaminate groundwater due to poorly designed collection
and treatment systems (IAH, 2015).

In rural settings, groundwater-related challenges for drinking water, sanitation and

hygiene take a different form. Given the typically sparse infrastructure and degree of
remoteness, groundwater is often the only alternative to scarce or polluted surface
water.

B. Food Security

In the coming decades, sustainable utilization of groundwater resources will be critical

to achieving global food security. Irrigated lands account for 40% of global food
production and productivity of groundwater-irrigated areas exceeds that of irrigation
from other sources (Deb Roy and Shah 2003). Optimization would require appropriate
crop selection and development of advantageous food trade regimes.

C. Sustainability, Ecosystems and Climate Change

Anthropogenic activities can pose a significant threat to groundwater resources and

their related ecosystems. Groundwater over-abstraction may also amplify land
subsidence and naturally occurring contamination processes. Consequently, extensive
and continuous groundwater monitoring is critical to ensuring groundwater
sustainability.
GROUNDWATER
DEVELOPMENT

SUBMITTED TO:

EMMANUEL NIKKO P QUIOGUE

SUBMITTED BY:

ALONTO, AHMAD SHARIEF D.

HADJI-ALI, MUJAJIDJI T.

TAIB, AZHARUDIN G.

AUGUST 1, 2019