When the Reynolds number is very low, the velocity of flow of a fluid through a saturated porous medium is directly proportional to the difference in water pressure at the two sites:
where
h is the height difference between the highest point of the water-table and the point at which flow is being calculated,
V the velocity of flow,
P the coefficient of permeability for the medium in question, and
l the length of flow. Darcy’s law does not hold good for well-jointed limestone which has numerous channels and fissures.
Darcy’s equation can be written in several ways: see GroundwaterSoftwater.com (March 2004). See also Buchan and Cameron in S W. Trimble et al., eds (2003).