---
title: "Held water"
subject: "Soil Mechanics"
chapter: 6
key: "semester_4/soil_mechanics:held-water-define"
source: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_4/soil_mechanics/held-water-define
site: BCT Engineering
---

# Held water

Soil Mechanics · Chapter 6: Principle of Effective Stress, Capillarity and Permeability

- Asked in: 2078 Chaitra, 1 marks
- Video: [Soil Hydraulics Part A | Modes of Water in Soil, Capillary Rise & Pore Water | Soil Mechanics](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xfu5Kh8lTI) — Learn Civil Easy
- Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort) on 2026-10-14
- Page: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_4/soil_mechanics/held-water-define
- Whole chapter: https://www.bctengineer.com/md/semester_4/soil_mechanics/chapter-6

## Question

Define held water.

## Short answer

Held water is water retained in soil by molecular attraction and surface tension, so it cannot drain by gravity. It includes adsorbed and capillary water and does not flow freely, unlike free (gravitational) water.

## Answer

**Held water** is the water that is held in the soil by molecular attraction (adsorption) and surface tension around the soil particles, so that it is not removed by gravity drainage. It includes adsorbed (hygroscopic) water and capillary water, and it does not flow freely under gravity. In contrast, free (gravitational) water drains under gravity and is the part that flows under a hydraulic gradient.

## Check yourself

The answer's key points as multiple-choice questions, with the correct option and why.

1. Held water is water that:
   A. Drains freely under gravity
   B. Is retained by molecular attraction and surface tension and is not removed by gravity drainage
   C. Fills only large voids
   D. Is chemically combined in minerals only
   Answer: B. Held water is bound around particles by adsorption and surface tension. (Key point: Definition)

2. Held water includes:
   A. Gravitational water and artesian water
   B. Adsorbed (hygroscopic) and capillary water
   C. Only free surface water
   D. Groundwater below the table
   Answer: B. Adsorbed and capillary water are the held forms. (Key point: Components)

3. Which water flows under a hydraulic gradient?
   A. Adsorbed water
   B. Hygroscopic water
   C. Held water
   D. Free (gravitational) water
   Answer: D. Free water drains under gravity and flows under a gradient; held water does not flow freely. (Key point: Contrast with free water)

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