Message Board - Hard Landscaping: Water table is too low for this time of year
Just an observation, but I was digging out some ground for some footings the other day and I could not believe that the holes and trenches did not fill up with water. I'm not complaining, as it made the job go easier, but usually at this time of year on the site I am working on the trenches would fill up as soon as you start digging.
This is a clear example of the water table being low, which just goes to show how little rainfall there has been in the South-east. You only pretty much have to scratch the surface and the soil is reasonable dry. 2012 is going to be the year of the Olympics, the Queens Diamond Jubilee, and a drought, if we don't get much more rain soon.
Yes, I've had a similar experience. My pond is a natural clay lined pond which would usually be full to the brim at this time of year, but woefully low at the moment. It is about 18 inches lower than normal.
The water level in this pond is a reflection of the water table for my immidiate area as the level of water in the pond is governed by the height of the water table. If we don't get some rain soon the pond will dry out in no time once the warmer weather begins.
I made the mistake of having a new pond dug out late last autumn. All I have to show for it is a rather large and expensive hole in the ground with some ledges at different depths. There is some water in the bottom of the pond, about six inches in total. I can't see it filling up before the spring now. Everyone told me it would be full by now, but I suppose I'm just unlucky that it has been such a dry winter this year, which is something you cannot insure against.
2 Weeks ago by Eddie
At least you have somewhere to shovel all the snow :)
on a serious note, the thawing snow is ideal for wetting the ground. In my region the ground has been too dry, even through this winter. if we have any heavy rain, most of it runs off the surface and into a ditch or drain. With the snow cover, the slow thawing process will mean that the water seeps into the ground, as opposed to running off into a ditch. This should improve the amount of water in the soil, but it will take bucket loads to get to where we should be at this time of year.
