RISING GROUND WATER – PROBLEM OR RESOURCE?

Abstract

Abstract. Ground water rising to within 6 m (20 feet) of average ground surface elevations in Louisville, Kentucky caused concern to municipal officials and building owners in the central urban area. An average rise of more than 11 m (35 feet) occurred between 1969 and 1980.An evaluation of foundation conditions and structural configurations in central Louisville indicated rising ground water could create:1. slight but significant possibilities of structural settlement problems;2. high possibilities of damage to basement floors and walls; and3. very high possibilities for disruption of utility conduits.Efforts to determine the cause of this rise in ground‐water level have focused on the historical relationships between ground‐water levels, pumpage rates and precipitation values.Historical data indicated that ground‐water levels in a system undisturbed by man could reach ground surface elevations in central Louisville. Preliminary studies indicated a strong relation between average ground‐water levels and changes in pumping rates and incident precipitation. A further detailed study showed extremely high correlation (R = 0.995) between average ground‐water levels in 1966–1980 and cumulative departures in precipitation and pumping rates from 1950–1965 average precipitation and pumping rates.A study of the feasibility of lowering ground‐water levels while simultaneously storing energy in the aquifer system was begun but was interrupted by devastating explosions of hexane in the sewers beneath south‐central Louisville on February 13, 1981. Although a dry year in 1980 and no change in pumping rate have slowed the rise in ground‐water level temporarily, long‐term solutions to this problem need to be developed.