Residents Take Part in Quest towards Groundwater Problems

The people of Washington Terrace are now more concern about lysimeters, piezometers and tension meters. For several years, an underground water problem caused major illness to the residents of Washington Terrace which is why they see those words as a sign of hope to fix their current situation.

$75,000 is the estimated price for a project that includes the underground drainage system which after some time will be turned into a storm drain. Segments of 15 inch pipes should be installed at an altitude not less than two feet beneath the basement of homes in the area in the process of constructing that system. The ground water needs to seep into the pipe that's why the open segments will be wrapped by a gravel envelope. This project will be monitored by a local state university student wherein various measuring devices will be installed to determine the quantity of water flowing through this underground pipe as well as the amount of surface water seeping into the ground. The first job was to put up a lysimeter device which is cylindrical in shape in the city's Central Park. In order for surface water to become part of the ground water flow, it has to pass through beneath a layer of grass wherein the big tank with soil and enclosed in another cylindrical tank is buried deep in the ground under a coating of turf.

To record the water levels in the soil, one has to look for the lysimeter located at the center field line of the park's baseball diamond where a set of stairs can be found going up to the towering device used to gauge water levels. The piezometers measure the depth of the water table along the underground drainage system while the tensionmeters measure the amount of surface water. The devices mentioned which are not yet completely installed act some kind of a mechanical root.

The tensionmeter draws water out of the ground and as the grass begins to dry out, the water returns back to the soil. Because of the high cost of these devices, only four sets will be installed with two located in the city park and two more on a private residence in the study area. These tensionmeters are very important to be able to determine if turf is in need of additional water.

The use of sprinklers by residents, the city, and two different churches will be included in the study of the uniformity and output of sprinklers. If more residents cooperate and understand the situation, the tests may accurately determine if surface water is the cause of the groundwater problem. Preliminary results of the study seem to show that the underground drainage system is helping to reduce the groundwater problem in the area. When some residents back then pump water from their properties, they only receive little amounts until the installation of the system.

A drop of 2.5 feet in water tables has been recorded between the end of May until mid June, based on studies. The leakage from its holding tanks plays an insignificant role to the groundwater situation according to another study. The city is the reason why the water is over watering according to the preliminary result of the study on surface water which needs to be broadened.

Residents will learn about how frequent should water be used and how much water to be used after the sprinkler tests have been conducted. The city mayor is hoping that residents would be cooperative in attending the meetings where the results would be further explained.

According to him, after the council hears the comments from these residents, the council could properly determine whether they should have widespread bonding for a major project or continue at a slower rate. The ability of this underground drain to handle both surface and subsurface water made the mayor suggested that subdividers be installed in this type of system in future land developments to somehow help eliminate the problem.

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