Burial in HPP

[Midnight Rambler]

quote:

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Originally posted by KathyH

I wonder that there aren't more wells here. Anyone know the reason why catchment is the popular method?

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For the most part, the rock here is so porous that water seeps down relatively quickly, so you have to drill down nearly to sea level to reach the freshwater "lens" of the aquifer. The closer you are to the coast, the thinner the freshwater layer is; below this is saltwater that intrudes from the ocean.

There are some springs from small perched aquifers, but not many. There are (or were) quite a few artesian wells on Oahu, because the lava dikes there are made of extremely dense, impermeable rock. But when they cut tunnels through the mountains for irrigation, many of the wells and natural springs dried up because the released the pressure and the aquifers drained.