A New Method to Determine Storage Coefficient from Pumping Test Recovery Data

Abstract

AbstractA new method is presented to determine the transmissivity and the storage coefficient from recovery data measured after a pumping period of an aquifer test. Previously available methods can determine the storage coefficient during the pumping period only or under restrictive conditions. This method requires observations from a minimum of two points (e.g., the pumping well and an observation well). For each time during recovery, the drawdowns observed in the two wells are first plotted with regard to the distance from the pumping well centrum, giving an intercept A and a slope B for each pair of data. The plot of A values with regard to time allows to calculate the transmissivity value, while the plot of B values versus time gives the storage coefficient value. The method is applied to two sets of field data, and the results obtained are close to those obtained using the classical methods (Theis or Jacob) applied to the drawdown data obtained during the pumping period. This method well determines transmissivity and storativity from recovery data obtained at short times after the completion of pumping, i.e., for times shorter than those which can be used by the Cooper‐Jacob approximation.