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ASTM D6000/D6000M-15e1
Standard Guide for Presentation of Water-Level Information from Groundwater Sites
1.1 This guide covers and summarizes methods for the presentation of water-level data from groundwater sites.
1.2 The study of the water table in aquifers helps in the interpretation of the amount of water available for withdrawal, aquifer tests, movement of water through the aquifers, and the effects of natural and human-induced forces on the aquifers.
1.3 A single water level measured at a groundwater site gives the height of water at one vertical position in a well or borehole at a finite instant in time. This is information that can be used for preliminary planning in the construction of a well or other facilities, such as disposal pits. Hydraulic head can also be measured within a short time from a series of points, depths, or elevation at a common (single) horizontal location, for example, a specially constructed multi-level test well, indicates whether the vertical hydraulic gradient may be upward or downward within or between the aquifer.
1.4 Where hydraulic heads are measured in a short period of time, for example, a day, from each of several horizontal locations within a specified depth range, or hydrogeologic unit, or identified aquifer, a potentiometric surface can be drawn for that depth range, or unit, or aquifer. Water levels from different vertical sites at a single horizontal location may be averaged to a single value for the potentiometric surface when the vertical gradients are small compared to the horizontal gradients. The potentiometric surface assists in interpreting the gradient and horizontal direction of movement of water through the aquifer. Phenomena such as depressions or sinks caused by withdrawal of water from production areas and mounds caused by natural or artificial recharge are illustrated by these potentiometric maps.
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