Abstract
Summary: The reliability of water‐table measurements in clay soil is currently under review (Twocock, 1971; Bonell, 1971; Visvalingam, 1972). This paper summarizes some of the experimental results from a boulder clay catchment in East Yorkshire. The experiments investigated the functioning characteristics of cased auger holes and piezometers in clay soil and compared the results with observations made with a neutron moisture probe. It appears that well‐point technique, especially piezometers, are extremely unreliable in clay soil. The measured water level is demonstrated to be influenced by not only the position of the ‘water table’ but also the permeability of the soil; in which context the type, diameter, and length of tubing, as well as the time of installation, become important considerations.

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