What phenomena describes the lowering of the water table caused by excessive pumping?

The phenomenon that describes the lowering of the water table due to excessive pumping is known as drawdown. When water is extracted from a well or aquifer at a rate greater than it can be replenished naturally, the water level in that area drops. This is essentially what drawdown refers to: a reduction in the water level, which can have significant implications for water supply and the surrounding ecosystem.

Drawdown can lead to issues such as decreased water availability for other wells, land subsidence, and can even affect nearby surface water bodies. Essentially, drawdown is a critical concept in water resource management and emphasizes the importance of balancing water extraction with natural recharge rates to sustain water availability in the long term.

Other terms like infiltration and percolation are related to water movement through soil and rock but do not specifically denote the lowering of water levels caused by pumping. Depression, while it might sound relevant, is typically used in different contexts within hydrology.