Assign Water to Materials

If you are using Water Surfaces or Water Grids to calculate pore pressure, they must be assigned to Materials.

• Water Surfaces are used for calculating Pore Pressure if the Groundwater Method = Water Surfaces.
• Water Grids are used for calculating Pore Pressure if the Groundwater Method = Water Grids.

There are two possible ways to assign Water Surfaces or Water Grids:

1. In the Material Properties dialog
2. In the Hydraulic Assignments dialog.

Material Properties

Water Surfaces or Water Grids can be assigned to materials under the Water Parameters tab in the Material Properties dialog.

Hydraulic Assignments Dialog

To assign water surfaces or water grids with the Hydraulic Assignments dialog:

1. Select Groundwater > Assign Water to Materials
2. In the Hydraulic Assignments dialog, there are two possible methods of assigning water surfaces or grids:
   • Select a Water Surface or Water Grid from the combo box at the top of the dialog and click the Apply to Checked Materials button. This is the fastest way to assign a water surface or water grid to multiple materials.
   • OR you can use the combo box beside each individual material to select a Water Surface or Water Grid for the material.

   It is possible to use Water Surfaces AND Water Grids in the same model since the Groundwater Method can be selected independently for each material. If this is the case, you will see all currently defined Water Surfaces AND Water Grids listed by name in the assignment combo boxes.

3. When you are finished assigning, click OK.

The Hydraulic Assignments dialog is an alternative method of assigning pore pressure calculation to materials. It can be particularly useful if you need to assign a water surface or water grid to multiple materials, since you can select multiple materials and assign water with one mouse click, rather than having to go through the Water Parameters tab for each material in the Define Material Properties dialog.