3) EFFECTS ON LOWERING THE GWT 2 METER BELOW GROUND SURFACE.

Ground water is always moving by the force of gravity from recharge areas to discharge areas. in
more permeable zones, the movement of groundwater table can be greater.
The effect of movement in ground water through rock and soil can be seen in road cuts,
especially in winter, when the water freezes upon emerging from the rock.
Building and infrastructure damage occurs where differential movements exceed the thresholds
that the buildings or infrastructure can sustain.
settlement (downward movement of the ground surface) will occur during groundwater
lowering
Lowering of the groundwater table can cause the soil to consolidate, which induces settlement.
With softer, more compressible soils, settlements can become large.
groundwater lowering occurs in buildings on shallow foundations.
deep foundations on piles can also be affected. If soil settles relative to the pile, this can result in
downdrag on the pile (known as negative skin friction) additional load could potentially
overstress the pile. (same situation for wooden pile)
water table is lowered, this exposes the upper part of the pile to aerobic conditions and rotting
and decay can start to take place. (wooden pile exposed to soluble rocks ex: limestone and
dolomite. ground water flow causes dissolution of the rock leading to the formation of caverns.

negative effects of groundwater depletion:

drying up of wells
-owner might have to deepen the well, drill a new well, or, at least, attempt to lower the pump.
Level water decrease, the level of water in well also decrease.
reduction of water in streams and lakes
-loss of riparian vegetation and wildlife habitat.
deterioration of water quality
increased pumping costs
-depth to water increases, the water must be lifted higher to reach the land surface. If using
pumps, higher cost needed, higher energy to take out the water
land subsidence
loss of support below ground. When water is taken out of the soil, the soil collapses, compacts,
and drops. Often caused by human activities, mainly from the removal of subsurface water. Ex:
Fine-grained sediments-the rock compacts because the water is partly responsible for holding
the ground up.

http://environment.uwe.ac.uk/geocal/SoilMech/stresses/stresses.htm#PORESUCTION