Dewatering of Foundations

Dewatering of Foundations
Engr. Junaid Tariq

Lecturer
Civil Engineering Department
Dewatering of Foundations
Construction of footings of various buildings,

powerhouses, multistory buildings and many other
structures requires excavation below the water table into
water-bearing soils. Such excavations require lowering
the water table below the slopes and bottom of the
excavation to prevent raveling or sloughing of the slope
and to ensure dry, firm working conditions for
construction operations. De-watering is done to lower
the water table to achieve above mentioned goals.
Purpose of Dewatering
Construction sites are dewatered for the following

purposes:
1. To provide suitable working surface at the bottom of the
excavation.
2. To stabilize the banks of the excavation thus avoiding
the hazards of slides and sloughing.
3. To prevent disturbance of the soil at the bottom of
excavation caused by piping. Such disturbances may
reduce the bearing power of the soil.
Methods of Dewatering
Following methods are used for Dewatering,

1. Sump pumping
2. Well point systems with suction pumps
3. Shallow wells with pumps
4. Deep wells with pumps
5. Eductor system
6. Drainage galleries
7. Electro-osmosis
8. Other methods
1) Sumps & Sump Pumping
A sump is merely a hole in the ground from

which water is being pumped for the purpose
of removing water from the adjoining area.
They are used up to 8m with ditches leading
to them in large excavations.

Small sump
Pumping from sump
2) Well Point Systems
A well point is 5.0-7.5 cm diameter metal or plastic pipe 60 cm –

120 cm long which is perforated and covered with a screen. The
lower end of the pipe has a driving head with water holes for
jetting. Well points are connected to 5.0-7.5 cm diameter pipes
known as riser pipes and are inserted into the ground by driving
or jetting. The upper ends of the riser pipes lead to a header pipe
which, in turn, connected to a pump. The ground water is drawn
by the pump through the well points, the riser and header pipe and
finally discharged. Sometimes a sedimentation tank is also
provided. This type of dewatering system is effective in soils
constituted primarily of sand fraction.
Well Point De-watering System
Well Point De-watering System_1
Well Point De-watering System_2
• The well points can lower a water level to a maximum of 5.5 m below
the centerline of the header pipe. In silty fine sands this limit is 3-4 m.
Multiple stage system of well points are used for lowering water level
to a greater depth. A single well point handles between 4 and 0.6 m 3/hr
depending on soil type.
Multi Stage Well Point De-watering
System
Multi Stage Well Point De-watering System_1

3) Shallow Wells
• Shallow wells comprise surface pumps which draw

water through suction pipes installed in bored wells
drilled by the most appropriate well drilling and or
bored piling equipment. Its limit is 8 m because
these are pre bored. These wells are used in very
permeable soils when well pointing would be
expensive and often at inconveniently close
centers. These can extract large quantities of
water.
Shallow vs Deep Well
4) Deep Wells/Bedrock Wells
• When water has to be extracted from depths greater than

8 m and it is not feasible to lower the type of pump and
suction piping used in shallow wells to gain a few extra
meters of depth, the deep wells are submersible pumps
installed within them. A cased borehole can be sunk
using well drilling or bored piling rigs to a depth lower
than the required dewatered level. The diameter will be
150 – 200 mm larger then the well inner casing. These
systems are used in gravels to silty fine sands and in
water bearing rocks.
Bedrock Well vs Shallow Well
Typical Deep Well
6)Drainage Galleries
• Drainage galleries are used for the removal of large

quantities of water for dam abutments, cut-offs, etc.
Large quantities of water can be drained into
gallery (small diameter tunnel) and disposed of by
conventional large – scale pumps.
Other Methods (Assignment)
1. Eductor system
2. Electro-osmosis
3. Ground freezing with ammonium brine or liquid nitrogen. It is used for all
types of saturated soils.
4. Slurry trench cut-off walls with bentonite or native clay. It is used for all
types of soils.
5. Impervious soil barrier. Used for all soils. Relatively shallow applications
(5-6m max.)
6. Sheet piling. It is used for all soils except soils with large boulders.
7. Compressed air. It is used for all types of saturated soils and rock. Its
applications is in tunnels, shafts and caissons.

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Dewatering of Foundations

Engr. Junaid Tariq

Construction of footings of various buildings,

Construction sites are dewatered for the following

Following methods are used for Dewatering,

A sump is merely a hole in the ground from

A well point is 5.0-7.5 cm diameter metal or plastic pipe 60 cm –

Multi Stage Well Point De-watering System_1

• Shallow wells comprise surface pumps which draw

• When water has to be extracted from depths greater than

• Drainage galleries are used for the removal of large

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