Groundwater storage and Movement at a site in Beverly Swamp

Abstract

<p>Soil samples of peat and hydrologic data were collected from a site in Beverly Swamp, Ontario, from June to September of 1984. The data was analyzed to determine how groundwater storage and movement responded to fluctuations in the water table.</p> <p>During periods of a lowering water table, groundwater flow was upward and storage capacity increased. The vertical water flow in the peat, which was the dominant direction of flow, was very small and decreased as water levels declined. In periods of recharge the water table rose quickly, groundwater flowed downward and storage capacity was reduced significantly. Vertical water movement increased as the water table rose but remained very small.</p> <p>It is concluded that groundwater flow in the peat is very small and insignificant while antecedent moisture levels and rainfall amounts are the more important factors in controlling the short term storage capacity of the swamp.</p>