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water seeks its own level - I have questions

Susan Taylor Brown

Posts: 151

Location: Scotts Valley, California Zone 9B

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posted 9 years ago

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I understand the basics of water seeking its own level. Easy to see with a clear hose. But I wonder how things work underground. If I have water running down the slope to a water basin and then it infiltrates underground...what happens next? Does the water continue to flow downhill underground (as well as overflowing the basin and downhill above ground) Does the water just sink in beneath the basin? Will it work its way backwards by "seeking its own level"?

I have a very crude picture that I hope helps with my questions.

Image1.png

My goal? To create a wildlife habitat on our surburban (almost rural) property using mostly California native plants and inspire others to do the same.
Also to learn how to grow some edibles - more than the herbs I have grown before.

Jack Edmondson

pollinator

Posts: 576

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posted 9 years ago

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Gravity is what it is. Everything always goes down, unless it meets some resistance. The only way it will travel according to your diagram, is if it hits a impermeable layer and there is less hydraulic pressure (drier soil) from the uphill side of that layer than the downhill. There is a capillary action that can wick moisture against gravity because of the surface tension of the water, but it is a small effect. Once the water is in the ground, it will move to the low pressure zone. Uphill will normally be higher pressure due to water pressure exerting down force by farther up slope. But there may be isolated 'pockets' where the uphill pressure is lower.

Susan Taylor Brown

Posts: 151

Location: Scotts Valley, California Zone 9B

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posted 9 years ago

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Thank you, Jack, for that perfectly easy to understand explanation. I feel better now about my plans.

Craig Overend

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Location: Melbourne, Australia

posted 9 years ago

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Watch some groundwater models on YouTube to learn!

Joseph Lofthouse

author & steward

Posts: 7371

Location: Cache Valley, zone 4b, Irrigated, 9" rain in badlands.

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posted 9 years ago

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Landrace Gardening, author
Open Source Plant Breeding Forum, founder
Adaptation Agriculture: Video Course, Community, and Seed Share

Susan Taylor Brown

Posts: 151

Location: Scotts Valley, California Zone 9B

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posted 9 years ago

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Craig, thank you so much for sharing those videos. It really helps. I am going to go look for more as I find it very fascinating.

Joseph, you made me smile. If I make a place for water, water will find its place in my soil.

We have had much digging going on for days and people walk by and ask me what I am doing (am I a crazy lady) and when I explain how I am not giving my water away if I can help it most of them are flabbergasted. A woman today said it never dawned on her to try and stop the water before it went down the storm drain. I wish we would teach this in school to our children.

I agree. Here's the link: http://stoves2.com