Definition

Noun: 1. The Underground Level of Saturated Soil: The water table is the top level of the zone in the ground where all the spaces between soil particles and rock are completely filled with water (groundwater). The ground below this level is saturated, while the ground above it is unsaturated.

Usage

The term water table is used to discuss geology, hydrology, agriculture, and environmental science. It describes a specific, measurable boundary in the subsurface. * It is typically used with verbs like be, rise, fall, lower, raise, reach, affect, deplete. * It is often modified by adjectives like high, low, falling, rising, local, regional.

Examples

• Noun:
  • Digging a well requires knowing the depth of the water table.
  • Excessive irrigation can cause the water table to rise, potentially waterlogging crops.
  • A prolonged drought will cause the water table to fall.
  • The construction of the dam significantly altered the local water table.

Advanced Usage

• "Above/below the water table": Describes the position of something relative to this saturated zone.
  • The roots of these plants are located above the water table and rely on rainfall.
• "Water table aquifer": Refers to an aquifer that has a water table as its upper boundary (an unconfined aquifer).
  • A water table aquifer is directly recharged by precipitation.

Variants and Related Words

• Groundwater (n): The water itself that is located beneath the water table in saturated zones.
• Aquifer (n): A body of permeable rock or sediment that can contain or transmit groundwater.
• Piezometric surface (n): The level to which water will rise in a well; for an unconfined aquifer, this is the water table.

Synonyms

• Phreatic surface (n): A technical synonym used in geology and hydrology.
• Groundwater level (n): A more general descriptive term.

Related Phrases

• Water table fluctuation: The natural or human-induced change in the depth of the water table over time.
  • Seasonal water table fluctuation is normal in this region.
• Lowering of the water table: The process, often due to over-pumping of wells, that causes the water table to drop.
  • The lowering of the water table is a serious concern for the city's water supply.

Noun

1. underground surface below which the ground is wholly saturated with water
   • spring rains had raised the water table