ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: Cork, a coastal city in southern Ireland, with a population of 250,000, is situated at the mouth of the River Lee, which drains into Cork Harbour, an almost enclosed natural harbour. The city centre is located upon a reclaimed marsh and underlain by a deep buried valley, infilled by gravels with a hydraulic conductivity of 5 103m/s. It is just above sea level, and within the tidal influence of the River Lee, which fluctuates over a range of 3 m under normal conditions and 4 m during spring tides. Groundwater within the city centre is in hydraulic connection with the River Lee and water table levels vary with the tides over a range of more than 2 m under normal conditions, but with a 30 min-1 hr delay in response from tidal maxima and minima. Groundwater levels are very high throughout the city centre, and at high tide, the water table is only about 30 cm below street level in some parts of the city centre.
