Piezometer

Applications

The first piezometers in geotechnical engineering were open wells or standpipes (sometimes called Casagrande piezometers) installed into an aquifer. A Casagrande piezometer will typically have a solid casing down to the depth of interest, and a slotted or screened casing within the zone where water pressure is being measured. The casing is sealed into the drillhole with clay, bentonite or concrete to prevent surface water from contaminating the groundwater supply. In an unconfined aquifer, the water level in the piezometer would not be exactly coincident with the water table, especially when the vertical component of flow velocity is significant. In a confined aquifer under artesian conditions, the water level in the piezometer indicates the pressure in the aquifer, but not necessarily the water table. Piezometer wells can be much smaller in diameter than production wells, and a 5 cm diameter standpipe is common.