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Download a zip file that includes all the web pages and downloadable files from the student materialsFor the Instructor
These student materials complement the Water Science and Society Instructor Materials. If you would like your students to have access to the student materials, we suggest you either point them at the Student Version which omits the framing pages with information designed for faculty (and this box). Or you can download these pages in several formats that you can include in your course website or local Learning Managment System. Learn more about using, modifying, and sharing InTeGrate teaching materials.6.2 Aquifer Processes and Dynamics
In the first half of the module, we've explored the properties of aquifers. But, of course that is only half of the story! In order for groundwater to flow, there must be a driving force. The same is true for surface water like streams or rivers: in that case, the driving force is gravity. In the case of groundwater, the driving force is a bit more complicated because it includes the combined effects of gravity and pressure.
As we will see, these driving forces are partly determined by the natural system, but can be perturbed by pumping or injection in wells. When we pump water from wells, we alter the natural driving forces to move water toward the well. One important issue in aquifers is accounting for the flows in to and out of the aquifer in a groundwater budget. In extreme cases, the amount of water extracted at wells may exceed the amount introduced to the aquifer through recharge. As we'll discuss, this tenuous condition is known as overdraft.
