Determination of Storage Coefficients During Pumping and Recovery

Abstract

An aquifer test is used mostly to determine the storage coefficient and transmissivity. Although residual drawdown data are widely used in estimating the transmissivity of aquifers, the estimation of storage coefficients with recovery data is controversial. Some researchers have proposed methods to estimate storage coefficients with recovery data by assuming equality of storage coefficients for the recovery and pumping periods (S = S'). The aim of this study is to determine storage coefficients without such an assumption, that is, S≠S'. The method is a modified version of Banton-Bangoy's method without considering drawdown data due to pumping. Drawdown is plotted vs. the logarithmic ratio (t'/t) or time since pumping stopped to the duration of pumping and the ratio of storage coefficient during recovery to the storage coefficient from the pumping period (S'/S). The method is verified with one case study and two synthetic examples. Thus, it is possible to determine storage coefficient of pumping period accurately without any data from pumping period by recovery data.