Dewatering Holes

Whilst groundwater is often a blessing for many businesses and domestic dwellings it can also present problems for construction companies and mine operators. This is due groundwater creating a high-water table that prevents the building of foundations, excavations or ongoing mining projects.

Wherever groundwater is likely to be encountered at a site of construction it can lead to several undesirable effects such as increased load on supports, lack of stability and flow of material. Dewatering holes are used to artificially suppress the water table.

There are different types of dewatering systems, including:

• Horizontal holes with slotted PVC screen or pipe placed in them

• Wellpoints, which are small-diameter tubes with slots near the bottom that are inserted into the ground from which water is drawn by a vacuum generated by a dewatering pump

• Deep well dewatering systems, which use a series of drilled wells, each equipped with a submersible pump, to lower groundwater