Reference

Groundwater Dictionary

A glossary of hydrogeology, geology and water-resources terms used across South African groundwater science, developed by the Institute for Groundwater Studies.

Browse the dictionary Back to repository
375 Defined terms
3 Categories
A–Z Alphabetical index
Browse

Choose a category

Each category has its own search box and A–Z index.

Groundwater

Aquifers, boreholes, recharge, water resources and legislation.

278 terms

Geology

Geological formations, minerals and rock types of South Africa.

83 terms

Soils

South African soil classifications and forms.

14 terms

About this dictionary

Groundwater, defined as the water from rain or other precipitation that soaks into the ground and moves downward to fill cracks and other openings in soils and rocks, is an essential resource of great social, environmental and economic importance. It accounts for 97% of the world's freshwater and serves as the base flow for all streams, springs, and rivers. The aquifer systems of South Africa represent important water resources that are relied on by many. Water users include the ecology (wetland areas around springs and surface water flow originating from the groundwater), urban and rural dwellers, irrigation and livestock farmers, industry and mining.

Traditionally water resources management has been practised with a surface water focus and limited groundwater understanding and this has not changed significantly since the introduction of IWRM. Overcoming this major (world-wide) hurdle to the sustainable utilization of a crucial part of water resources is seen as a global challenge. In Groundwater systems form an integral part of the hydrological cycle and should be managed as such. They do, however, have unique characteristics which have a strong bearing on their sustainable utilization and are still little understood by decision-makers.

Acknowledgements

  • The development of the Groundwater Dictionary is to provide a tool that will contribute towards the integration of groundwater aspects into the hydrological, systems and planning computer modelling software, which currently form the basis of resource evaluation and development options for surface water resources in South Africa, as carried out by the Chief Directorate: Integrated Water Resource Planning. This integration will further promote the concepts of Integrated Water Resource Management, as called for in the National Water Act (1998).
  • The Groundwater Dictionary was developed by the Institute for Groundwater Studies, University of the Free State and funded by the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, Directorate: Water Resource Planning Systems.
  • The Groundwater Dictionary is the product of a team effort. The contributions, inputs and support of a large number of people needs to be acknowledged, including that of:
  • A special thanks goes to Helena Liebenberg for the art work.

References

  • American Geological Institute. (1962) Dictionary of Geological Terms. Dolphin Books, Doubleday & Company, New York.
  • Concise Oxford Dictionary. (1992) ISBN 0-19-860690-7, Oxford University Press, Britain.
  • Driscoll FG. (1989) Groundwater and Wells ISBN 0-9616456-0-1, Johnston Filtration Systems Inc., St Paul, Minnesota
  • DWAF and Norad. (2004) Toolkit for Water Services. Directorate: Information Programmes, Pretoria.
  • Fetter, CW. (1999) Contaminant Hydrogeology, second edition. Prentice-Hall, Inc. New Jersey.
  • Freeze, RA and Cherry, JA. (1972). Groundwater, ISBN 0-13-365312-9, Prectice-Hall, Inc.
  • Kruseman, GP and De Ridder, NA. (1991) Analysis and Evaluation of Pumping Test Data. ISBN 90-70754-207. International Institute for Land Reclamation and Improvement. Wageningen, The Netherlands.
  • National Environmental Act. (1998). Government Gazette. Act 107, 1998. Pretoria, South Africa.
  • National Water Act. (1998). Government Gazette, 19182. Act 36, 26 August 1998. Pretoria, South Africa.
  • Parsons R and Wentzel J. (2005) Groundwater Resource Directed Measures Manual. WRC project no. K5/1427 Water Research Commission, Pretoria.
  • Quality of Domestic Water Supplies, Volume 1: Assessment Guide. (2001) Report no TT 101/98, Water Research Commission, Pretoria.
  • Spitz, K. and Moreno, J. (1996) A practical guide to groundwater and solute transport modelling. John Wiley and Sons, Inc. United States of America.
  • Water Services Act. (1997). Government Gazette, 18522. Act 108, 19 December 1997. Cape Town, South Africa.
  • Price, M. (1985). Introducing groundwater, ISBN 0-04-553006-8, Allen and Unwin Inc. ISBN
  • SABS. (2003) Development, maintenance and management of groundwater resources. Part 0: Glossary of terms. ISBN 0-626-14783-2.
  • Schwartz, FW and Zhang, H. (2003) Fundamentals of Groundwater. ISBN 0-471-13785-5. John Wiley and Sons Inc.
  • USGS (2006) http://pubs.usgs.gov.
↑