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Civil Engineering & Construction vocabulary · Foundations and Soil

Groundwater

Meaning in civil engineering & construction, with examples

/ˈɡraʊndwɔːtər/nounCommon term

In civil engineering & construction, groundwater means: Water held underground in the soil and in cracks in rock. Its upper surface is called the water table.

In Turkish: yeraltı suyu, taban suyu

How it is used

Site investigations record groundwater levels because they affect excavations, foundations and basements. Where groundwater is high, contractors use dewatering and waterproofing.

Example sentences

  1. We hit groundwater at three metres, so the pumps are running day and night.

  2. The basement has to be designed for the full groundwater pressure.

Common collocations

  • groundwater level
  • high groundwater
  • groundwater control
  • water table
  • dewatering
  • excavationThe process of digging out and removing soil or rock to make space for foundations, basements, trenches or tunnels; also the hole that is dug.
  • site investigationThe study of ground conditions before design, using boreholes, trial pits and field and laboratory tests to find out what the soil and rock are like.
  • boreholeA narrow hole drilled into the ground during a site investigation to take soil and rock samples, carry out tests and measure groundwater levels.
  • drainageThe system of pipes, channels, gullies and ditches that collects rainwater or wastewater and carries it away from a road, building or site.
  • retaining wallA wall built to hold back soil or water where the ground level changes suddenly, for example beside a road cutting or around a basement.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Foundations and Soil

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