Depth of the water table in the Daintree Rainforest, Cape Tribulation site between 2014 - 2015
Credit
We at TERN acknowledge the Traditional Owners and Custodians throughout Australia, New Zealand and all nations. We honour their profound connections to land, water, biodiversity and culture and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.
Funding for this project was provided by grants from the Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research (DIISRTE), Tertiary Education and the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI) and James Cook University.
Lineage
Bore 1 was drilled commencing 19th May 2008. Drilling was carried out using the rotary mud technique, the bore were installed as far into the forest as possible as the drill platform allowed. Drilling reached the watertable at ~10 m depth and bedrock at ~12 m depth. The drill hole was 200 mm diameter to 12m depth and then155 mm diameter to the bottom (14.2m). The casing used was UPVC PN12, 125 mm ID, from 0.30 m above ground to 14.2 m depth. Above ground the casing was enclosed in a steel tube (0.30m) with a lockable cap. The casing was slotted (1.2 mm) from 4.5 m to 14.2 m depth. There was no cap at the base (in rock). Filling: cement grout 0-2 m depth, drill cuttings 2-4 m depth, bentonite 4-4.5 m, gravel 4.5-12 m (rock), packer at 12m (top of rock), open hole 12-14.2 m. A water level logger (capacitance sensor) was installed that logged data every 30 minutes during 2014 and 2015. The capacitance sensor was calibrated before use according to the instructions provided by the manufacturer. Cross check of the depth to water table was carried out using an independent sensor that responded to change in conductivity when it hit the water table (in-house sensor).