Chapter 80: Groundwater control

Groundwater control encompasses the range of temporary works techniques used to allow below-ground construction projects to be carried out in dry and stable conditions. Two principal approaches can be used: groundwater control by pumping (also known as construction dewatering), which involves pumping from an array of wells or sumps to lower groundwater levels in the vicinity of an excavation; or groundwater control by exclusion, which relies on low-permeability cut-off walls around the excavation to prevent or reduce groundwater inflows.