If you have become the owner of your own land, on which you intend to build a house, grow various garden and vegetable crops, then you just need to know some information about your personal plot. You should have such knowledge about your land as, a map of the distribution of the main types of soil, the thickness of the fertile layer, the depth of soil freezing in your area, data on the prevailing wind rose and much more. All this information will be very useful for you. You will be able to use the resources of the site as efficiently as possible at the lowest cost.

Figure 1. Occurrence diagram groundwater.

Such information can really save you from many problems. For example, having learned the dominant wind rose in your area, you can take this factor into account and build buildings in such a way as to protect some of them from the effects of wind; as a banal example, you can point to the construction of a brick barbecue. This structure is durable, unlike its metal counterpart, so you can’t just move it. If the dominant winds were not taken into account during construction, then it will constantly smoke the house and yard.

But even more important information is data showing the groundwater level in your area.

The importance of knowledge

A map of the groundwater level in your area, or better yet specifically in your area, is an extremely important document for any land owner. With this knowledge, you can confidently plan the construction of a house or future planting of vegetable and garden crops. Only knowing exactly the depth of groundwater can you choose the right type and depth of foundation for a house, because the slightest errors in calculations can lead to deformation of the foundation and even destruction of the entire house, which will entail not only material losses, but also a risk to the lives of those living in people's house.

Underground water supplies are also important for plants. Aquifers lying too deep will not be able to nourish the soil and give life to plants, but water located too close will not bring joy either. If the roots are in water for a long time, they “suffocate” and the plant may die. Trees are especially sensitive to this, the depth of their roots is much greater than that of shrubs and garden plants.

These 2 factors alone are quite sufficient to understand how important it is to know the hydrological situation in your area.

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Groundwater map

Where can you get a map of the location of groundwater in your area and how can you find out at what depth the aquifers lie? There are 2 ways for this. The simplest and most reasonable thing is to contact the appropriate authority in your city or district. This could be a land management committee, an architectural committee, a hydraulic exploration committee, and so on; different organizations may have different organizations in different areas.

But there are situations when such a card does not exist or for some reason it does not suit you. In this case, you will have to do the research yourself. To do this, there are many both strictly scientific and folk ways of studying. Using some of them or combining them, you can quickly and accurately determine at what depth they lie on your site.

Here it is also worth noting such an important point as the type of groundwater. The fact is that there are 3 types of them. Each of them has its own characteristics and requires different efforts for its operation.

  1. Ground free-flow water is the moisture that falls with various precipitation and saturates the top layer of soil. Water from natural reservoirs can also get here. To use this type of water resource, it is enough to build a simple well.
  2. Ground pressure water is a little more difficult to use, since it lies at great depth and represents a water lens located between 2 waterproof layers (usually clay). Water enters these underground reservoirs from vast areas and can have a volume measured in cubic kilometers and is usually under great pressure. To use this resource it is necessary to drill a deep well.
  3. Verkhovodka. This is all the water that has accumulated in the top layer of soil after precipitation. It practically does not accumulate, and its volume is directly dependent on the level of precipitation.

An approximate diagram of the location of all 3 types of groundwater can be seen in Fig. 1.

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Technical methods of exploration

The simplest technical intelligence in your case might look like this. If your neighbors live next to you and they already have wells or boreholes, then don’t be lazy to visit them and ask them to look at the water level in these devices. The more wells you can check, the more accurate the picture of groundwater occurrence will appear before you. Look at the terrain; if it is flat, then most likely the level of aquifers on your site is at the same depth as your neighbors. If the area is replete with elevation changes, this will complicate an accurate analysis of the hydrological situation. But in any case, this information will help you at least roughly navigate this issue.

After this, it is worth starting direct exploration of the aquifers and conducting several test drillings in the area using a thin drill. If you stumble upon an aquifer at a depth that suits you, then all search work can be completed and a full-fledged well can be drilled. And if it was not possible to find it, then we need to drill several more wells in other places.

Before starting work, it is very important to take into account the terrain features of your site. For example, on a flat surface it is easier to find water at the same level as your neighbors. While in the lowlands, groundwater, as a rule, comes closer to the surface of the earth than in the hills. And if there is a ravine or stream in the neighborhood or on the site itself, then the well can only be dug on its slope, since in other places there will be no water, it has already found a way out and does not accumulate in thick layers.

As you can see, care is needed even when technically searching for aquifers. But a trained eye is especially important when searching for water using traditional methods.

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Folk signs

It is possible, using modern technology, to drill several wells in an area and thus quickly find out whether there is water and at what depth it is. But it is not always possible to use a drilling rig, and even if you have one, you can significantly save time and resources by conducting a preliminary survey of the site using traditional methods. They will help reduce to a minimum the places where the aquifer may lie close. So let's look at them.

The groundwater level significantly affects vegetation. If he comes close enough, this can be noted both by the condition of the plants themselves and by their species diversity. This is especially noticeable during the dry season, when such an island of fresh greenery resembles an oasis in its freshness and brightness. If the plants have enough moisture, they have a richer color and grow thicker. They like such places: sedge, reeds, horsetails, sorrel, coltsfoot and some other plants. If you have a place on your site where such plants prefer to grow and they have a rich and bright color, then you can be sure that the water is close.

Observation will help you find such a place in other ways. For example, in summer, at dusk, in a humid place, you can notice a slight foggy haze when moisture from the air settles in a cooler place. This means that here, too, the water is close to the surface.

You can take a closer look at the behavior of animals, they can also tell you where to look for water. For example, it is common knowledge that cats prefer to rest where it is cool and humid. She will choose just such a place on earth. While the dog, on the contrary, will avoid such a place.

By carefully observing the behavior of your pets, you can learn a lot about your property. Even the behavior of mosquitoes depends on the presence of water. A swarm of mosquitoes hover over the place where the water comes close in the evenings.

Water that comes close to the surface has a depressing effect on plants; trees, whose roots may die, are especially affected by it. In the same way, water affects animals; no one likes it when their home is flooded with water, so in those places where groundwater lies close to the surface, you cannot find mouse holes or colonies of red ants.

One of the most water-rich countries, it has more than 20% of the world's fresh surface and groundwater reserves. The country's average long-term resources are 4270 km3/year (10% of world river flow), or 30 thousand m3/year (78 m3/day) per inhabitant (second place in the world after). The predicted operational reserves of groundwater are over 360 m3 per year. Having such significant water resources and using no more than 3% of river flow, Russia in a number of regions experiences an acute water shortage due to their uneven distribution across the territory (8% of resources are in the European part of Russia, where 80% of industry and population are concentrated), and also poor water quality.

In quantitative terms, Russia's water resources are composed of static (secular) and renewable reserves. The former are considered unchanged and constant over a long period of time; renewable water resources are estimated by the volume of annual river flow.
The territory of Russia is washed by the waters of 13 seas. total area The marine area falling under the jurisdiction of Russia is about 7 million km2. At the same time, 60% of the total river flow enters the marginal seas.

River flow resources. From surface waters In the socio-economic development of the country, priority belongs to river flow. The volume of local river flow in Russia averages 4043 km3/year (second highest in the world after), which is 237 thousand m3/year per 1 km2 of territory and 27–28 thousand m3/year per inhabitant. The flow from adjacent territories is 227 km3/year.

Water reserves in lakes

Lake water is classified as static reserves due to slow water exchange. Depending on the nature of interaction with rivers, there are flowing and drainage lakes. The former have a predominant distribution in the humid zone, the latter in the arid zone, where evaporation from the water surface far exceeds the amount of precipitation.

There are more than 2.7 million fresh and salt lakes in Russia. Main part of resources fresh water concentrated in large lakes: Ladoga, Chudskoye, Pskov, etc. In total, the 12 largest lakes contain over 24.3 thousand km3 of fresh water. More than 90% of the lakes are shallow water bodies, the static water reserves of which are estimated at 2.2–2.4 thousand km3, and thus the total water reserves in Russian lakes reach (excluding the Caspian Sea) 26.5–26. 7 thousand km3. - the largest closed brackish lake by area, which has international status.

Swamps and wetlands occupy at least 8% of Russia's territory. Swamp areas are mainly located in the north-west and north of the European part of the country, as well as in the northern regions. Their areas range from several hectares to tens of square kilometers. Swamps occupy about 1.4 million km2 and accumulate huge amounts of water. About 3000 km3 of static reserves are concentrated natural waters. The feeding of swamps involves runoff from the area and precipitation falling directly onto the wetland. The total average annual volume of the incoming component is estimated at 1500 km3; about 1000 km3/year is spent on runoff feeding rivers, lakes, and underground (natural) resources, and 500 km3/year on evaporation from the water surface and transpiration of plants.

The bulk of glaciers and snowfields are concentrated on islands and mountainous areas. The largest in area are located in the northern and northeastern parts of Siberia. Arctic glaciers cover an area of ​​approximately 55 thousand km2.

The hydrological role of glaciers is to redistribute precipitation runoff within the year and smooth out fluctuations in the annual water content of rivers. For water management practice in Russia, glaciers and snowfields in mountainous regions, which determine the water content of mountain rivers, are of particular interest.

Russia has significant hydropower resources. However, their use, especially in flat areas, is often associated with negative environmental consequences: flooding, loss of valuable agricultural land, coastlines, damage to, etc.

Water resources by country of the world (km 3 /year)

The largest water resources per capita are found in French Guiana (609,091 m3), Iceland (539,638 m3), Guyana (315,858 m3), Suriname (236,893 m3), Congo (230,125 m3), Papua New Guinea (121,788 m3), Gabon (113,260 m3), Bhutan (113,157 m3), Canada (87,255 m3), Norway (80,134 m3), New Zealand (77,305 m3), Peru (66,338 m3), Bolivia (64,215 m3), Liberia (61,165 m3), Chile (54,868 m3), Paraguay (53,863 m3), Laos (53,747 m3), Colombia ( 47,365 m3), Venezuela (43,846 m3), Panama (43,502 m3), Brazil (42,866 m3), Uruguay (41,505 m3), Nicaragua (34,710 m3), Fiji (33,827 m3) 3), Central African Republic (33,280 m3), Russia (31,833 m3).
The fewest water resources per capita are found in Kuwait (6.85 m3), the United Arab Emirates (33.44 m3), Qatar (45.28 m3), the Bahamas (59.17 m3), and Oman (91.63 m 3), Saudi Arabia(95.23 m 3), Libya (95.32 m 3).
On average, on Earth, each person accounts for 24,646 m3 (24,650,000 liters) of water per year.

The next map is even more interesting.

Share of transboundary flow in the total annual flow of rivers in the world (in%)
Few countries in the world rich in water resources can boast of having river basins “at their disposal” that are not separated by territorial boundaries. Why is this so important? Let's take for example the largest tributary of the Ob - the Irtysh. () . The source of the Irtysh is located on the border of Mongolia and China, then the river flows for more than 500 km through the territory of China, crosses the state border and about 1800 km flows through the territory of Kazakhstan, then the Irtysh flows about 2000 km through the territory of Russia until it flows into the Ob. According to international agreements, China can take half of the annual flow of the Irtysh for its needs, Kazakhstan half of what will remain after China. As a result, this can greatly affect the full flow of the Russian section of the Irtysh (including hydropower resources). Currently, China annually supplies Russia with 2 billion km 3 of water. Therefore, the water supply of each country in the future may depend on whether the sources of rivers or sections of their channels are located outside the country. Let's see how things are going with strategic “water independence” in the world.

The map presented to your attention above illustrates the percentage of the volume of renewable water resources entering the country from the territory of neighboring states from the total volume of water resources of the country (A country with a value of 0% does not “receive” water resources from the territories of neighboring countries at all; 100% - all water resources come from outside the state).

The map shows that the following states are most dependent on “supplies” of water from neighboring countries: Kuwait (100%), Turkmenistan (97.1%), Egypt (96.9%), Mauritania (96.5%) , Hungary (94.2%), Moldova (91.4%), Bangladesh (91.3%), Niger (89.6%), Netherlands (87.9%).

In the post-Soviet space the situation is as follows: Turkmenistan (97.1%), Moldova (91.4%), Uzbekistan (77.4%), Azerbaijan (76.6%), Ukraine (62%), Latvia (52. 8%), Belarus (35.9%), Lithuania (37.5%), Kazakhstan (31.2%), Tajikistan (16.7%) Armenia (11.7%), Georgia (8.2%) , Russia (4.3%), Estonia (0.8%), Kyrgyzstan (0%).

Now let's try to do some calculations, but first let's make ranking of countries by water resources:

1. Brazil (8,233 km 3) - (Share of transboundary flow: 34.2%)
2. Russia (4,508 km 3) - (Share of transboundary flow: 4.3%)
3. USA (3,051 km 3) - (Share of transboundary flow: 8.2%)
4. Canada (2,902 km 3) - (Share of transboundary flow: 1.8%)
5. Indonesia (2,838 km 3) - (Share of transboundary flow: 0%)
6. China (2,830 km 3) - (Share of transboundary flow: 0.6%)
7. Colombia (2,132 km 3) - (Share of transboundary flow: 0.9%)
8. Peru (1,913 km 3) - (Share of transboundary flow: 15.5%)
9. India (1,880 km 3) - (Share of transboundary flow: 33.4%)
10. Congo (1,283 km 3) - (Share of transboundary flow: 29.9%)
11. Venezuela (1,233 km 3) - (Share of transboundary flow: 41.4%)
12. Bangladesh (1,211 km 3) - (Share of transboundary flow: 91.3%)
13. Burma (1,046 km 3) - (Share of transboundary flow: 15.8%)

Now, based on these data, we will compile our rating of countries whose water resources are least dependent on the potential reduction in transboundary flow caused by water withdrawal by upstream countries.

1. Brazil (5,417 km 3)
2. Russia (4,314 km 3)
3. Canada (2,850 km 3)
4. Indonesia (2,838 km 3)
5. China (2,813 km 3)
6. USA (2,801 km 3)
7. Colombia (2,113 km 3)
8. Peru (1,617 km 3)
9. India (1,252 km 3)
10. Burma (881 km 3)
11. Congo (834 km 3)
12. Venezuela (723 km 3)
13. Bangladesh (105 km 3)