Unsteady free flow to an observation well from a semi-confined leaky aquifer

Abstract

This paper presents an analytical solution to the problem of unsteady free flow of water from a leaky confined aquifer, fed by an external supply source and draining into a ditch. Both the non-homogeneous governing equation and the boundary conditions are converted to Sturm-Liouville problems. The closed form solution so obtained is significant because it not only illustrates the process of groundwater recharge and depletion, but can constitute a bench-test for numerical models.