Civil and Building Engineering.

The soil and rock profile also includes information about the presence and elevation of the water table. The water table is the elevation in the soil profile at which water will exist in an open excavation or borehole, given sufficient time for steady-state conditions to be reached. The presence of the water table is of interest to the foundation designer for two principal reasons. Firstly, the position of the water table is needed to establish the profile of effective stress in the soil versus depth. Secondly, the depth of the water table determines the depths below which special procedures must be used to control the groundwater during construction. This second point is important for the engineer to consider when selecting the foundation type and for the contractor to consider when selecting the method of construction.