A potentiometric surface is the imaginary plane where a given

reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

of fluid will "equalize out to" if allowed to flow. A potentiometric surface is based on

hydraulic Hydraulics () is a technology and applied science using engineering, chemistry, and other sciences involving the mechanical properties and use of liquids. At a very basic level, hydraulics is the liquid counterpart of pneumatics, which concer ...

principles. For example, two connected storage tanks with one full and one empty will gradually fill/drain to the same level. This is because of atmospheric pressure and gravity. This idea is heavily used in city water supplies - a tall

water tower A water tower is an elevated structure supporting a water tank constructed at a height sufficient to pressurize a water distribution system, distribution system for potable water, and to provide emergency storage for fire protection. Water towe ...

containing the

water supply Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Th ...

has a great enough potentiometric surface to provide flowing water at a decent pressure to the houses it supplies. For

groundwater Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in rock and Pore space in soil, soil pore spaces and in the fractures of stratum, rock formations. About 30 percent of all readily available fresh water in the world is groundwater. A unit ...

"potentiometric surface" is a synonym of "piezometric surface" which is an imaginary surface that defines the level to which water in a confined aquifer would rise were it completely pierced with wells. If the potentiometric surface lies above the ground surface, a flowing

artesian well An artesian well is a well that brings groundwater to the surface without pumping because it is under pressure within a body of rock or sediment known as an aquifer. When trapped water in an aquifer is surrounded by layers of Permeability (ea ...

results. Contour maps and profiles of the potentiometric surface can be prepared from the well data.

References

* ''Earth: Portrait of a Planet; Second edition''; Stephen Marshak, 2005 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc (Page 604–605) Concepts in physics Dynamics (mechanics) Effects of gravity {{Watersupply-stub

See also

References