Though the title of this paper permits a rather general discussion of water‐table problems, the authors intend to review the literature briefly and to give some of their findings in a field‐study of a section of the Sacramento Valley. Besides the abundant data presented in Water‐Supply Papers of the United States Geological Survey, many independent reports and papers bear upon ground‐water tables. Selected highlights from a few of these publications will bring the present discussion into focus.Lee [see 5 of “References” at end of paper], working in Owens Valley, found by using 10‐ foot‐deep “post‐hole” wells dug in clay that “ridges” followed the beds of streams and that “mounds” extended below irrigated fields, whereas the water‐table contours roughly followed the general valley‐contours. Meinzer [6]made a water‐table contour‐map of Silverbow Basin, Montana, by using data from wells ranging from 12 to 119 feet in depth, with water‐levels from two to 89 feet below the surface. Clark [1, 2], studying the Niles Cone and Morgan Hill areas in California and using numerous wells whose water‐levels varied during each season, drew conclusions as to specific yields of the areas. In the Morgan Hill region he chec