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Monitoring the SGF Water Table

The height of the water table beneath the SGF is closely monitored to better understand potential local height change.


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The local water table depth is closely monitored by daily readings taken from an onsite borehole, which was drilled in 1996.

The measurements were initially made once a day by hand, but since early 2002 automatic measurements are made many times a day using an electronic pressure sensor.

  • The graph below is interactive, draw a box with your mouse to zoom.
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  • The data is available for download in ascii below


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    The annual cycle, with the watertable drying in the summer and reaching greater heights due to the rains in the winter, is clearly apparent in the plots.

    Periods of higher peaks can be seen, such as 1998 to 2002. Periods of lower peaks are also present, as was the case during 2005 to 2006, with near-drought conditions reported in the UK, primarily in the southern counties.

    The dry conditions of early 2012 followed by a very wet second half of the year can be seen as a rapid rise in water table height.

    The electronic device malfunctioned at the end of 2005 and was replaced.