Aquifer Hydraulic Diffusivity Research Articles

Facilitating Open Pit Mine Closure with Managed Aquifer Recharge.

Dewatering of open pit mines can lower the regional water table for distances of several kilometers from the pit. When the mine is closed, dewatering operations usually cease, and the water table near the pit begins to rise. If the pit is backfilled, the water table will eventually recover, but this recovery may take several hundred years. However, if the extracted water is re-injected into the subsurface, then this may accelerate recovery of the water table. We show that there is an optimal distance for re-injection, which is sufficiently far from the mine to minimize the amount of groundwater that flows back to the pit during mine operations (and hence necessitate additional pumping) but is still close enough to speed up the water table recovery post-mine closure. The optimal injection distance increases with the aquifer hydraulic diffusivity and the mine life (duration of dewatering and injection), and typically ranges between about two and nine times the radius of the mine pit. Where the mine pit is not backfilled, the relative reduction in drawdown due to injecting all the pumped water at the optimal distance is between approximately 10% and 50% after a recovery time equal to the mining period, increasing to 30% to 90% after a recovery time five times the mining period. The relative drawdown reduction due to managed aquifer recharge will be even greater for a pit which is backfilled when mining ceases.

Hydrogeological simulation of head changes of a south Benin artesian aquifer

Artesian basins include groundwater that may rise above the land surface with free-flow conditions which make it possible to exploit groundwater without pumping. The change to non-artesian conditions may have large implications for local people using artesian wells for drinking and other purposes. We applied a 3D physically based model to assess future head developments in the Turonian-Coniacian artesian (T.C.) aquifer of southern Benin under different artesian outflows and climate scenarios. A sensitivity analysis of the hydraulic and storage properties of the subsurface layers was performed to determine the importance of each property. Results revealed that artesian basins are structured into peripheral and central zones behaving differently to external stresses. Head amplitudes in the peripheral zones which are adjacent to recharge zones are higher and decrease towards the central artesian zones due to the influence of the confined aquifer's hydraulic diffusivity and the leakance of the confining layer. Based on the regional climate model (RACMO) that better reproduces the historical rainfall in the study area, lower recharge is predicted for the period until 2030 and will lead to head drops by 1 m at the peripheral artesian zone. However, such head drops will likely recover during the period 2030–2050 for which higher recharge is predicted. If the current artesian outflows double by 2050 this would cause heads to reduce by only a few centimeters both in the central and at the periphery of the artesian zone. Among all the subsurface layers properties, the hydraulic conductivity of the confined T.C. aquifer is most influencing the simulated heads across the artesian zone and its specific storage is revealed as the least influencing one.

Electro-geohydraulic estimation of shallow aquifers of Owerri and environs, Southeastern Nigeria using multiple empirical resistivity equations

Estimates of the geohydraulic parameters of the aquifers of Owerri and environs were carried out using different empirical resistivity equations with the objective of evaluating the predictive capabilities of the various equations. Forty Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES) data were acquired with a maximum half-current electrode spacing of 500 m using the Schlumberger electrode configuration. Aquifer resistivity across the study area varies from 330 to 78,100 Ωm with a mean value of 9465.8 Ωm. Aquifer depth ranges from 22.5 to 91.8 m with a mean value of 61.79 m while aquifer thickness across the study area ranges from 10.8 to 77.0 m with an average value of 36.72 m. The Dar-Zarrouk parameters revealed that the transverse resistance ranges from 12,276 to 2,297,120 Ωm2 with a mean value of 330,297.01 Ωm2 while the longitudinal conductance ranges between 0.000214 and 0.529231 Ω−1 with a mean value of 0.01323Ω−1. Aquifer hydraulic conductivity values vary from about 2.97–58.55 m/day with a mean value of 15.55 m/day while aquifer transmissivity values vary from about 37.433–7004.61 m2/day with a mean value of 1007.18 m2/day. Aquifer storativity values across the study area vary from 0.0000324 to 0.000231 with a mean value of 0.00011 while aquifer hydraulic diffusivity values ranged between 335,425 and 79,383,443.33 with a mean value of 9,621,354.647. Model ranking using statistical analysis revealed that out of the three different equations used for estimating hydraulic conductivity in the study area, the New Model equation is the best alternative in the absence of pumping test data.

Use of Groundwater Level Fluctuations near an Operating Water Supply Well to Estimate Aquifer Transmissivity.

We developed a method to estimate aquifer transmissivity from the hydraulic-head data associated with the normal cyclic operation of a water supply well thus avoiding the need for interrupting the water supply associated with a traditional aquifer test. The method is based on an analytical solution that relates the aquifer's transmissivity to the standard deviation of the hydraulic-head fluctuations in one or more observation wells that are due to the periodic pumping of the production well. We analyzed the resulting analytical solution and demonstrated that when the observation wells are located near the pumping well, the solution has a simple, Dupuit like form. Numerical analysis demonstrates that the analytical solution can also be used for a quasi-periodic pumping of the supply well. Simulation of cyclic pumping in a statistically heterogeneous medium confirms that the method is suitable for analyzing the transmissivity of weakly or moderately heterogeneous aquifers. If only one observation well is available, and the shift in the phase of hydraulic-head oscillations between the pumping well and the observation well is not identifiable. Prior knowledge of aquifer's hydraulic diffusivity is required to obtain the value of the aquifer transmissivity.

The Cause and Statistical Analysis of the River Valley Contractions at the Xiluodu Hydropower Station, China

The Xiluodu Dam is a concrete double-curvature arch dam with a crest elevation of 610 m and a height of 285.5 m. Since the impoundment of the Xiluodu reservoir, remarkable river valley contractions (RVCs) have been observed upstream and downstream of the reservoir, potentially threatening the safety of the dam. However, the cause of these RVCs remains unclear. Based on an analysis of hydrogeological conditions, the RVCs were determined a result of the expansion of the aquifer, within which the effective stress decreased due to an increase in the hydraulic head after reservoir impoundment. Referring to the hydrostatic seasonal time (HST) model, a groundwater hydrostatic seasonal (GHS) model is proposed for simulating and predicting the development of the RVCs. Unlike the HST model, the GHS model can provide information on aquifer hydraulic diffusivity. The calibration results illustrate that the GHS model can accurately fit the observed RVCs data. The calculation results revealed that the RVCs were mainly affected by the hydraulic head of the confined aquifer, and that seasonal effects gave rise to less than 10% of the total RVCs. Finally, the development of RVCs were predicted using the GHS model. The prediction results demonstrated that the RVCs of most monitoring lines in the Xiluodu reservoir would gradually approach a convergence condition after 6 February 2021. Until the deadline of the prediction on 1 May 2035, there is still one monitoring line that has not reached a convergence condition (whose RVCs are 157.6 mm, and where the RVC growth rate will decrease to 0.005 mm/d by that time). Considering the large amount of RVCs, we think the safety of the dam requires closer consideration.

Reactive transport with wellbore storages in a single-well push–pull test

Abstract. Using the single-well push–pull (SWPP) test to determine the in situ biogeochemical reaction kinetics, a chase phase and a rest phase were recommended to increase the duration of reaction, besides the injection and extraction phases. In this study, we presented multi-species reactive models of the four-phase SWPP test considering the wellbore storages for both groundwater flow and solute transport and a finite aquifer hydraulic diffusivity, which were ignored in previous studies. The models of the wellbore storage for solute transport were proposed based on the mass balance, and the sensitivity analysis and uniqueness analysis were employed to investigate the assumptions used in previous studies on the parameter estimation. The results showed that ignoring it might produce great errors in the SWPP test. In the injection and chase phases, the influence of the wellbore storage increased with the decreasing aquifer hydraulic diffusivity. The peak values of the breakthrough curves (BTCs) increased with the increasing aquifer hydraulic diffusivity in the extraction phase, and the arrival time of the peak value became shorter with a greater aquifer hydraulic diffusivity. Meanwhile, the Robin condition performed well at the rest phase only when the chase concentration was zero and the solute in the injection phase was completely flushed out of the borehole into the aquifer. The Danckwerts condition was better than the Robin condition even when the chase concentration was not zero. The reaction parameters could be determined by directly best fitting the observed data when the nonlinear reactions were described by piece-wise linear functions, while such an approach might not work if one attempted to use nonlinear functions to describe such nonlinear reactions. The field application demonstrated that the new model of this study performed well in interpreting BTCs of a SWPP test.

Estimativa de parâmetros hidrodinâmicos do Aquífero Emborê em Farol de São Tomé - RJ Com as oscilações do nível piezométrico e maré oceânica

A obtenção e interpretação dos parâmetros físicos e químicos dos aquíferos é uma necessidade e um passo importante para o seu entendimento, pois o conhecimento sobre tais parâmetros é ainda, na maioria dos casos, incipiente. O aquífero Emborê, localizado na região Norte Fluminense, é um importante reservatório hídrico no estado do Rio de Janeiro e a população local utiliza-o para seu abastecimento. Deste modo, o conhecimento deste aquífero é de grande importância no contexto regional. O presente trabalho teve como base a instalação de um sensor multiparamétrico no poço UFRJ 05, que operou ao longo de oito meses, obtendo-se dados de temperatura, condutividade elétrica e variação da coluna de água (carga hidráulica). O poço capta o aquífero Emborê, de caráter confinado. Desta forma, o resultado das medidas de temperatura e condutividade do sensor multiparamétrico não sofreram oscilações significativas de salinidade e temperatura ao longo do período. Quanto à variação na carga hidráulica no poço, verificou-se que esta estava diretamente ligada à variação das marés oceânicas, oscilando conforme os ciclos de maré. Assim, aplicou-se metodologia de estimativa de cálculo que permitiu obter a difusividade hidráulica do aquífero em relação à maré e a comparação deste dado com os de um teste de bombeamento feito no próprio poço, avaliando-se as vantagens e desvantagens de obtenção de parâmetros do aquífero por cada método.

Analysis of groundwater drought building on the standardised precipitation index approach

Abstract. A new index for standardising groundwater level time series and characterising groundwater droughts, the Standardised Groundwater level Index (SGI), is described. The SGI builds on the Standardised Precipitation Index (SPI) to account for differences in the form and characteristics of groundwater level and precipitation time series. The SGI is estimated using a non-parametric normal scores transform of groundwater level data for each calendar month. These monthly estimates are then merged to form a continuous index. The SGI has been calculated for 14 relatively long, up to 103 yr, groundwater level hydrographs from a variety of aquifers and compared with SPI for the same sites. The relationship between SGI and SPI is site specific and the SPI accumulation period which leads to the strongest correlation between SGI and SPI, qmax, varies between sites. However, there is a consistent positive linear correlation between a measure of the range of significant autocorrelation in the SGI series, mmax, and qmax across all sites. Given this correlation between SGI mmax and SPI qmax, and given that periods of low values of SGI can be shown to coincide with previously independently documented droughts, SGI is taken to be a robust and meaningful index of groundwater drought. The maximum length of groundwater droughts defined by SGI is an increasing function of mmax, meaning that relatively long groundwater droughts are generally more prevalent at sites where SGI has a relatively long autocorrelation range. Based on correlations between mmax, average unsaturated zone thickness and aquifer hydraulic diffusivity, the source of autocorrelation in SGI is inferred to be dependent on dominant aquifer flow and storage characteristics. For fractured aquifers, such as the Cretaceous Chalk, autocorrelation in SGI is inferred to be primarily related to autocorrelation in the recharge time series, while in granular aquifers, such as the Permo–Triassic sandstones, autocorrelation in SGI is inferred to be primarily a function of intrinsic saturated flow and storage properties of aquifer. These results highlight the need to take into account the hydrogeological context of groundwater monitoring sites when designing and interpreting data from groundwater drought monitoring networks.

Flow in the neighborhood of a confined aquifer observation well

Summary An analytical solution for flow in the vicinity of an observation well is developed. The observation is emplaced in a homogeneous aquifer of infinite radial extent that is pumped at a constant rate, and satisfies the Theis solution. We attempt to account for the effect of an observation well on the drawdown response in a neighborhood of finite radial extent centered around the well. The model of Black and Kipp [Black, J.H., Kipp Jr., K.L., 1977. Observation well response time and its effect upon aquifer tests. Journal of Hydrology 34, 297–306] only makes a correction to the drawdown response at the well location and does not modify the flow pattern in the neighborhood of the well. This may be sufficient for isolated observation wells but, for well-fields or sites with relatively closely spaced wells, the flow patterns in the neighborhoods of the wells may significantly impact drawdown response. The model we develop is applied to field data and is shown to yield an aquifer hydraulic diffusivity that is comparable to that estimated with the model of Black and Kipp [Black, J.H., Kipp Jr., K.L., 1977. Observation well response time and its effect upon aquifer tests. Journal of Hydrology 34, 297–306]. In addition to providing estimates of formation conductivity and specific storage, the solution yield estimates of the hydraulic conductivity and specific storage of the zone of influence and has the ability to predict the effect of the observation well on drawdown response in a finite region of influence in the vicinity of the well.

Flow Depletion Induced by Pumping Well from Finite Length of Stream

A procedure for calculating the flow depletion from a finite length of a stream induced by a pumping well in an adjacent aquifer is developed. Four management cases of finite length of the stream including a basic case are considered. A “basic flow depletion factor” is defined, in terms of which the flow depletion factors for all cases are expressed. The basic flow depletion factor is twice the Hantush M function. A computationally simple and accurate practical approximation of the basic flow depletion factor is presented that encompasses the full practical range of the solutions. Using this approximation, an optimization method is proposed for the estimation of the aquifer hydraulic diffusivity and effective distance from the pumping well to the line of recharge from the measured temporal variation of stream flow depletion between two sections. During optimization, repeated computation of stream flow depletion is required; use of the proposed approximation simplifies the computation.

Basic Concepts for the Linear Model of Ground Water Level Recession

Basic concepts are illustrated for the display of ground water level recession as a linear plot on a semilog graph, as first described by Rorabaugh. This exponential decay function can be achieved if there is a definable outflow boundary such as a lake or river and if water levels are expressed relative to the altitude of the boundary. The model can be used to estimate aquifer hydraulic diffusivity. Concepts are illustrated using three finite-difference simulations. One represents the ideal case as described by Rorabaugh, in which the altitude of the outflow boundary is uniform along its length. Another simulation includes a sloping boundary with simple geometry and demonstrates that the model can be used accurately. Based on this simulation, it appears that the ground water level must be expressed relative to the closest point on the outflow boundary. The third simulation includes a sloping boundary and complex boundary shape, and demonstrates departures from the linear model of recession and errors in the estimate of hydraulic diffusivity. Another cause of nonlinearity is the instability of the ground water head profile soon after a recharge event. The nature of these early-time departures will vary depending on the location of the water level observation site relative to the outflow boundary and the hydrologic divide of the ground water flow system.

Explicit Estimation of Aquifer Diffusivity from Linear Stream Stage

Different approaches are available for estimation of aquifer hydraulic diffusivity from a linear stream-stage variation and corresponding groundwater heads. These approaches require interpolation from tabulated values or computation of hydraulic gradient at the stream aquifer interface. Certain methods use approximation or interpolation of tabulated values for an infinite series. These methods are prone to errors in the estimated aquifer hydraulic diffusivity. An alternative approach is to use a closed-form solution of the problem and develop an explicit expression for the aquifer hydraulic diffusivity, which is free from errors of using infinite series, interpolation, and computation of hydraulic gradient. Such an alternative method is developed for a linearly varying stream stage. The new method can yield the estimate of hydraulic diffusivity even from a single observation. The proposed method would be applicable to practical hydraulic engineering problems keeping in view that most of a rising part of a stream stage hydrograph can be approximated by a linear rise and certain rivers may show a linearly varying stream stage. Use of the new method is demonstrated on published and field data, which shows that the estimates obtained using the new method are comparable to that obtained using an optimization approach.

Estimation of Aquifer Diffusivity from Stream Stage Variation

A computationally simple method for the estimation of aquifer hydraulic diffusivity from observed piezometric-head variation because of an arbitrary variation in stream stage is proposed. The method makes use of the Fourier series representation of the arbitrary stream-stage variation. The piezometric-head variation due to a sinusoidal change in stream stage is derived in a computationally simple form, which was used as a basic solution in the method. Application of the method on a published data set shows that it accurately estimates the aquifer hydraulic diffusivity with less computational effort and can take into account any variation in stream stage.

Type-curve analysis of water-level changes induced by a longwall mine

Subsidence due to longwall mining creates long-term environmental effects, such as alteration of surface drainage patterns, changes in aquifer characteristics, and water-level drops in wells near the mine panel. Evaluating the impact of longwall mining on groundwater resources requires a knowledge of aquifer properties, both in front of, and behind, the mining face. In this study, we develop a method based on the one-dimensional flow equation, and utilize type-curves to estimate an aquifer hydraulic diffusivity value from water level versus time measurements at a single well. We tested the method by calculating the hydraulic diffusivity value of the Trivoli Sandstone aquifer over a longwall coal mine in the Illinois Basin, and our results are reasonably close to reported values. The presented method significantly reduces the computational effort involved in: (1) predicting mine-induced water-level drops, and (2) determining the hydraulic conductivity and storage coefficient value representative of a larger aquifer volume, as compared to conventional aquifer test methods.

Modelling scenarios for the emplacement of palaeowaters in aquifer systems

Abstract The response of coastal aquifer systems to global sea-level rise, the presence of permafrost and glaciation has been analysed using analytical and numerical models. The hydraulic connectivity between confined coastal aquifers and the sea largely controls their response to global sea-level rise. Open aquifer systems have direct hydraulic contact with the sea where they sub crop along the continental slope and base-level history for the aquifer is defined by sea-level history. In these systems, hydraulic heads equilibrate quickly to sea-level change at rates controlled by the aquifer hydraulic diffusivity. Interface movement lags behind the equilibration of the hydraulic heads and is controlled largely by the rate at which freshwater can be flushed from the aquifer through overlying semi-confining units. Interface movement occurs over time periods of tens of thousands of years. In contrast, closed aquifer systems lack direct hydraulic connectivity with the sea, which is controlled by the thickness and permeability of overlying semi-confining layers. During the Late Pleistocene-Early Holocene the base-level history for closed aquifer systems underlying the North Sea Basin was defined by the location of rivers and lakes in areas that are now offshore. These aquifers became coastal aquifers during the Holocene when rivers and lakes were inundated by rising sea levels. Salinization of closed aquifer systems may occur due to the downward diffusion of salts through overlying semi-confining layers in the presence of upward freshwater seepage. Aquifers overridden by glaciers respond in a manner that is largely controlled by aquifer transmissivity and geometry. The presence of permafrost inhibits recharge resulting in lower hydraulic heads and a reduction in aquifer fluxes.