UNDERGROUND AND SURFACE WATERS IN RELATION TO EXCAVATION AND CONSTRUCTION
Scarcely more than a mention of this subject is necessary. In mining, the pumping charge is one of the great factors of cost. A forecast of the amount and flow of water to be encountered in mining is based on the geologic conditions. The same is true in excavating tunnels, canals, and deep foundations. Detailed study of the amount and nature of water in the rock and soil of the Panama Canal has been vital to a knowledge of the cause and possibilities of prevention of slides. Rock slides in general are closely related to the amount and distribution of the water content.
The importance of ground-water as a detriment in military operations was shown during the recent war in trenching and other field works. At the outset, with the possible exception of the German army, a lack of scientific study of ground-water conditions led to much unnecessary difficulty. It soon became necessary to study and map the water conditions in great detail in advance of operations. Much of this work was done by geologists (see Chapter XIX).
Geological considerations are involved in a great variety of engineering undertakings related to river and harbor improvements, dam sites, etc., mentioned in Chapter XX.
FOOTNOTES:
[12] Mead, Daniel W., Hydrology: McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1919, pp. 447-448, 456.