Hydraulic Head

Abstract Hydraulic head is defined as the fluid energy per unit weight at a given point in a fluid system (like a pipe filled with flowing water or an aquifer). In simple, everyday terms, we can conceptualize (and measure) hydraulic head as an elevation—more specifically, the elevation to which water rises in a manometer, in a pressurized water pipe or in a piezometer. Water elevations is a manifestation of the fluid energy in a groundwater system, and measuring a water elevation in a piezometer is really a measurement of the energy in the fluid at a certain point in a groundwater system.