Coming Soon!
This book describes hydraulic head and groundwater flow with emphasis on plan view maps. All maps of groundwater flow tell a story about where the water is coming from and where it is going in an aquifer. Groundwater head maps are used extensively in environmental consulting, and one of the first steps in site evaluation is often to look for or produce a head map. However, sometimes these maps are made without strong knowledge of the underlying principles and sources of data. An understanding of how to identify recharge (source) areas and discharge (sink) areas in plan view is important for creating and interpreting head maps and is typically the first stage in producing plume maps that suggest directions of contaminant flow. This book provides exercises on constructions of groundwater head maps, sources of errors, interpretation of maps, and limitations in using maps to explain plume movement. When drawn and interpreted correctly, a groundwater head map helps us protect our groundwater resources.