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Water Table Fluctuations in an Incised Stream in Williamsburg, VA
Bookbinder, David Jason
Bookbinder, David Jason
Abstract
The groundwater system has an important role in the overall stream system. Groundwater provides a constant flow of water to the stream. However, little data exists that looks at how the groundwater system is affected by urbanization, as water 1s channeled by hortonian overland flow instead of infiltrating into the ground. This study compares how the water table changes resulting from incision caused by a knickpoint to an in-incised section of the stream located upstream of the knickpoint, by installing monitoring wells within the floodplain and monitoring stream flows and rainfall events. As a result of incision in this stream, the water table became directed towards the stream channel, fluctuated more than in the un-incised section, became deeper beneath the floodplain, and went overbank much more infrequently. The implications of these findings suggest that there is a dramatic impact of incision on not just the stream channel, but also on the water table. The result of this is that the floodplain is unable to store water and slowly release the water into the stream. This has an impact on plant communities and microbial processes that are taking place in the riparian environment.
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2005-01-01
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Geology