DEWATERING: Dewatering means modifying the ground by lowering the water table, redirecting seepage or

simply reducing the water content of the ground. Civil eng works such as in the stability of natural slopes and cuts,
dams and levees, excavation for structures, pavements etc. require extensive use of dewatering.

PURPOSES OF DEWATERING

To provide dry working area such as in excavation for building foundations, dams, tunnels etc.
To stabilize constructed or natural slopes
To reduce lateral pressures on foundations or retaining structures
To increase the bearing capacity of foundation
To prevent liquefaction
To prevent surface erosion
To prevent or reduce damage due to frost heave

METHODS OF DEWATERING SYSTEMS

Open sumps and ditches

Well point system
Deep well drainage
Vacuum dewatering systems
Dewatering by electro- osmosis
1) OPEN SUMPS AND DITCHES:

This method is suitable for Shallow excavation in well-graded soil or rock and for permeable soils resting on
impermeable strata. In this method, water is collected in sumps or ditches and then removed by pumping. Sump is
made below the ground level of excavation at one or more corners or sides. To prevent standing water on the floor of
excavation, a ditch is cut around excavation, falling towards the sump. Water from slopes falls into sump by gravity
and then it is pumped out from the sump.
Advantages

It is the most economical method for installation and maintenance

It can be applied to most soil and rock conditions
This method can also be used in situations where boulders and other obstructions are met within the ground.
Appropriate for small depth lowering.
The greatest depth to which water table can be lowered by this method is 8m below the pump level

Disadvantages

In areas with steep slopes, this method is not demanded.

This method will bring collapse of slopes and causes dangerous problems.
Use of sumps and ditches in open excavation will bring risk in stability of the base.
WELL POINT SYSTEMS: In this method, small well screens of sizes 50 to 80 mm in diameter and 0.3 to 1m length,
made out of brass or stainless steel with closed ends or self jetting types are used. Well points are required to maintain
for long period of working. Water drawn through the screens enters the space between the gauze and outside of the
riser pipe, and then from riser pipe to holes drilled in the bottom of this pipe and then reaches the surface. Well points
are installed by jetting them into the ground. Capacity of single well point with 50 mm riser is 10 l/m with the spacing
depending on permeability and availability of time to affect the drawdown. In fine to coarse sands, 0.75 to 1 m spacing,
in silty sands with low permeability, 1.5 m spacing and in highly permeable coarse gravels, 0.3 m spacing is normally
recommended.
2)
ADVANTAGES
Installation is very rapid.
Simple and cheap equipments.
Water is filtered and carries little or no particle.
Lesser danger of subsidence of the surrounding ground than open sump.

DISADVANTAGE
Serious limitation is suction lift
A lowering of about 6m below the pump level is possible beyond which excessive air shall be drawn into the system
through the joint in pipes, valves, etc. resulting in loss of pumping efficiency
If the ground consists of mainly large gravels cobbles or boulder, then it is not possible to install well points.

MULTISTAGE WELL POINT SYSTEM

Such wells are installed two or more stages. No limit to depth of drawdown in this way, but the width of excavation at
ground level becomes very large. Such well points are placed along with braced excavation, close to toes of the sheet
piles in order to ensure the lowering the water level between the sheet pile rows. It also helps to prevent probability of
development of quick condition of the bottom layers. They also help in eliminating hydrostatic pressure on the sheet
piles.
DEEPWELL DRAINAGE

These systems consist of deep wells and pumps installed outside the zone of construction with the purpose of lowering
the water table at the construction site to the desired level. Spacing should preferably between 0.8 to 8m depending on
the level of water table to be lowered, permeability of the strata etc. Such systems are suitable where the soil formation
becomes more and more pervious with depth. Also when a great depth of lowering of W.T. is required or where head
due to artesian pressure has to be lowered, such systems become more efficient. Deep wells may be combined with the
well point system on certain field condition for lowering the ground water table. Installation is done by sinking a cased
borehole having diameter 200 to 300 mm larger than well casing depending on size of pump. The inner well casing is
inserted after the completion of boring. A perforated screen is installed over the depth of soil which required
dewatering and is terminated with a 3 to 5 m long un-perforated pipe at the bottom to act as a sump for collecting any
fine material which might be drawn through filter mesh. Graded filter material is placed between the well casing and
the outer bore hole casing over the depth to be dewatered. The outer casing is then withdrawn in stages as the filter
material is placed. The space above the screen is backfilled with any available material. The water in well is then
surged by a boring tool to promote flow back and forth through the filter. At the same time any unwanted fines which
fall into the sump are cleared out by bailer before submersible pump is installed. Heavy boring plant is required in this
case to sink the well in very adverse formations like boulders rocks or under other difficult environment. Also, the cost
is relatively high.
VACCUM DEWATERING SYSTEM

Suitable for fine grained soils with permeability in the range of 0.1 to 10x10 -6 m/s. Such dewatering system requires
well or well point screens, riser pipe surrounded with filter sands. The top few portion of the hole is sealed or capped
with an impervious soil or other suitable material. By using the vacuum pressure created in the pumping main,
hydraulic gradient for flow to the well points is increased. Practical maximum height of lift for such system is about 3
to 6 m.
ELECTRO OSMOSIS

When an external electromotive force is applied across a solid liquid interface the movable diffuse double layer is
displaced tangentially with respect to the fixed layer. As the surface of fine grained soil particles causes negative
charge, the positive ions in solution are attracted towards the soil particles and concentrate near the surfaces. Upon
application of the electro motive force between two electrodes in a soil medium, these positive ions adjacent to the soil
particles and the water molecules attached to the ions are attracted to the cathode and are repelled by the anode. The
free water in the interior of the void spaces is carried along to the cathode. Thus, by making the cathode a well, water
can be collected in the well and then pumped out. The electro osmotic flow discharge (Qe) produced by an applied
electric field is given by:
Qe=keieA

Where, ke= Elecrtro osmotic permeability in cm/sec

ie = Electro osmosis hydraulic gradient.
A = C/S area of flow.

The simplest type of anode for normal applications are old pipes of 25 mm or 50 mm diameter which can easily driven
into the soil and can be placed either singly or in groups of two or three. Since the anode corrode considerably in the
course of few weeks of electro osmotic treatment, hence they should be replaced as soon as the current drops to less
than 30% of the consumption.
Two basic arrangements of cathode wells are either they are well arranged separately but in close proximity to the
cathode or the cathode and the well combined as one body.