Measurements were taken of the rate of water loss from the water table in columns of bauxite residue. The data were used to develop a simple model to predict the changes in depth to water table, using inputs of weekly rainfall and estimates of potential evaporation. The model was successfully validated against a further experiment and then used to predict water-table behaviour for hypothetical residue ponds in south-west Australia. Evaporative loss from the water table occurred only when the water table was less than 1 m below the soil surface. Unless drained, the water table in many residue ponds would rise above the ground surface in most years.