gen-define-groundwater-and-aquifers-and-give-one-short-worked-ex-0f56

Define groundwater and aquifers and give one short worked example.

# Groundwater and Aquifers ## Definitions **Groundwater**: Water that fills the spaces between soil particles and cracks in rocks beneath the Earth's surface. It comes from precipitation that infiltrates downward through soil until it reaches the saturated zone. **Aquifer**: An underground layer of permeable rock, sediment, or soil that stores and transmits groundwater in sufficient quantities to supply wells and springs. Aquifers act like natural underground reservoirs. ## Worked Example **Problem**: A town needs 500,000 liters of water per day. They drill a well into an aquifer with a sustainable yield of 25 liters per second. Can this well meet the town's needs? **Solution**: 1. Calculate daily aquifer yield: - Aquifer yield = 25 L/s - Seconds per day = 24 hours × 60 min × 60 s = 86,400 s - Daily yield = 25 L/s × 86,400 s = **2,160,000 L/day** 2. Compare to town's needs: - Town needs: 500,000 L/day - Aquifer provides: 2,160,000 L/day - Surplus: 2,160,000 - 500,000 = 1,660,000 L/day **Answer**: Yes, the well can meet the town's needs with over 1.6 million liters per day to spare, operating at only 23% of its sustainable capacity.