Sieving

• How to calculate the correction in case sum weight is not as same of

total weight ?
Sieving
• I am not sure which part of curve we need to look at (consider) to
classify the aquifer?
 Sieving
• Which hydraulic conductivity would you expect?
• Which porosity would you expect?

Gravel

Sand

Clay

Fissured rock

Karst

-1 10 -2 10 -3 10 -4 10 -5 10 -6
kf [m/s] 10

Very high perm. High permeability permeable Low perm.

DIN 18130
High yield aquifer Medium yield aquifer Low yield
Sieving
• Do you consider the sample well sorted?
• Provide a quantitative justification for your decision

• Uniformity coefficient Cu = d60/d10

• Cu < 4 -> Well sorted
• Cu > 6 -> poorly sorted
Sieving
• Difference between Hazen & Mallet-Paquant
 Aquifer properties
Give the correct unit for the following terms and a typical value range for an unconfined
silty-clay aquiver of 20m thickness.

unit value
Total porosity:

Hydraulic conductivity:

Specific storage:

Storage coefficient:

Transmissivity:

In an unconfined aquifer storage comes from porosity (-> Storage coefficient = porosity)!
Mathematical expression for specific storage
• The specific storage coefficient in porous aquifers is

„The change of stored watervolume per unit volume of the aquifer at a

change of the hydraulic head by 1m“

• Mathematical expression:

1 ∆𝑉𝑔𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑖𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑡
𝑺𝒔 =
𝑚 𝑉𝑔𝑒𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑡 ∙ ∆ℎ

7
Storage coefficient
• The storage coefficient (S) is the integral of the specific storage
coefficient across the aquifer thickness M. (DIN 4049-3)
• For a homogeneous aquifer this results in:
𝑆 = 𝑆𝑠 ∙ 𝑀
• Similar to porosity, the storage coefficient is a dimensionless number!

8
Darcy vs. Transportvelocity

𝑞
𝑣𝑎 =
𝜑𝑒𝑓𝑓
Tracer Test
• The following results show a tracer test conducted in a heterogeneous unconfined aquifer with a
hydraulic conductivity of 1.5*10-3 m/s with an initial tracer concentration of 5 kg/m³. The aquifer
thickness was 20 m with a hydraulic gradient from west to east of 1%, the porosity was to 7%. The
figure shows the tracer concentration recorded at an observation point in 55 m distance from the
injection point.
A) Calculate the Darcy velocity derived from the transport velocity and using Darcy’s law with the
given values above. Discuss their (dis-)agreement.
Solution
• The following results show a tracer test conducted in a heterogeneous unconfined aquifer with a
hydraulic conductivity of 1.5-3 m/s with an initial tracer concentration of 5 kg/m³. The aquifer
thickness was 20 m with a hydraulic gradient from west to east of 1%, the porosity was to 7%. The
figure shows the tracer concentration recorded at an observation point in 55 m distance from the
injection point.
A) Determine the maximum upstream distance of the water protection zone 2 around the observation
well assuming that this would become your water production well.
Drinking water
• Protection zone I (Fassungsbereich):
• At least 10m around well or production zone
• Area owned by production company, secured, only maintenance work
• Protection zone II (Engere Schutzzone):
• Primarily protection against biological contamination
• 50 days line (50-Tage Linie): From end of zone I until water needs 50 days to
reach zone I
• Protection zone III (Weitere Schutzzone):
• Protection against hardly-decaying chemical and radioactive materials
• Calculated based on discharge rate and groundwater recharge

12
Calculation exercise
Within a small area of 50 times 50 m there are three groundwater
observation wells. The aquifer is intermediate sand to fine gravel.

a) Estimate the hydraulic conductivity and the porosity.

b) Determine the hydraulic gradient, the direction of flow as well as an
estimate for the transport velocity.
13
 a) 8*10-3 – 2*10-2 m/s; 20%
b) I = Δh / Δx = 0,05 m / 12 m = 4,16*10-3
Fließrichtung SE-NW-gerichtet
Solution Abstandsgeschwindigkeit:
va = kf * i / n mit n = 0,2
va = 1*10-2 m/s * 4,16*10-3 / 0,2 = 2,08*10-4 m/s

14
 a) Mark the watershed
Exercise b) Mark the catchment area for the well

c) Determine an exemplary hydraulic gradient

d) Assuming that the shown aquifer is unconfined

and consists of medium sand: Which hydraulic
conductivity would you roughly expect?
e) How large is the transport velocity using the
values of c) and d)?

f) How many meters does the groundwater flow

within a day?

g) Indicate the protection zones I and II around the

well based on German rules for a drinking water
well. You can also describe the expansion in words
to support your drawing.
16
Solution

17
e) How do you describe the flow conditions in river 1 and river 2?
Efluent stream conditions

Influent stream conditions

Pumping
• Compare the depression cone of a sandy-gravely aquiver with a depression cone of a sandy-silty
aquiver for a steady-state pumping test with similar pumping rate using a sketch of each situation
and a description in bullet points with reference to the relevant parameters controlling the respective
shape of the depression cone and name which formula you could use to proof your expectation.

Use Sichart or Kusakin to check for R

Approximation of depression cone radius
• Sichardt (1928) R = 3000  s  k f

• Kusakin (1935) R = 575  s  k f  M

• If M > 27m: Kusakin > Sichardt

• Purely empirical formulas
s Drawdown in the well m
M Aquifer thickness m
kf Hydraulic conductivity m/s
R Radius of cone m 20
Compare the analysis procedures of Dupuit-Thiem and DeGlee by pointing out similarities
and differences in the attached table.
DUPUIT-THIEM DeGlee

Extension of the aquifer Infinitely wide

Homogeneity of the aquifer Homogeneous

Hydraulic condition of the aquifer confined/unconfined leaky

Slope of the pressurised water level before

horizontal
the pumping test

Technical installation of the production well perfect

Number of monitoring sites 1-2 >=1

Extraction rate constant

Type of analysis formula Curve matching

State of depression cone stationary

Parameters considered in analysis s or h,r,T,S s,r,T,S,L

Dupuit-Thiem – unconfined – Formulas:
• Integrate w.r.t. r
𝑄 𝜕ℎ 𝑄 1 2
=ℎ ln 𝑟 + 𝐶 = ℎ
2𝜋𝑟𝑘𝑓 𝜕𝑟 2𝜋𝑘𝑓 2

𝑄 𝑅 𝑄 𝑅
• Dupuit: 2 2
ℎ0 − ℎ = ln 𝑘𝑓 = 2 2
ln
𝜋𝑘𝑓 𝑟 𝜋 (ℎ0 − ℎ ) 𝑟

𝑄 𝑟2 𝑄 𝑟2
• Thiem ℎ22 − ℎ12 = ln 𝑘𝑓 = 2 2 ln 𝑟
𝜋𝑘𝑓 𝑟1 𝜋(ℎ2 −ℎ1 ) 1 23
Calculation exercise
The production well has an effective well radius of 0.30 m and reaches
the low-permeable clay layer. During the pumping test 35 l/s were
taken from the production well. The lowered GW level was measured in
the production well itself (s = 3.00 m). A drop of 1.42 m was measured
in a 32 m distant GW observation well under stationary conditions. The
aquifer (GWL) is made up of quaternary sands with a thickness of 23 m.
The base is built of marls. The GW surface of the unstressed GWL is 1.5
m below ground level. Please determine the hydraulic conductivity kf.

25
Calculation exercise ctd.

26
Solution

Q = 0,035 m³/s
r1 = rw = 0,30 m
r2 = 32 m
Thiem – Dupuit: h1 = h = 23.00 – 1.50 – 3.00 = 18.50 m
h2 = 23.00 – 1.50 – 1.42 = 20.08 m
𝑄(ln 𝑟2 − ln 𝑟1)
𝑘𝑓 =
𝜋(ℎ22 − ℎ12 )

0.035 m³/s · ( ln 32 m− ln 0.3)

𝑘𝑓 = = 8.53 · 10-4 m/s
π · ((20.08 m) −(18.5 m ))
2 2

27
Pumping unconfined
• A pumping test with constant pumping rate of 700 m³/d is conducted in an unconfined aquifer of
17.82 m thickness. Once steady state in the drawdown was observed, the drawdown in the closest
observation well 1.20 m away from the pumping well was 1.44 m. In the second observation well,
which is 6.00 m away, the drawdown was 4cm.
a) Determine the transmissivity of the aquifer with the method of Thiem.

𝑄 𝑟2
𝑘𝑓 = ln
𝜋(ℎ22 −ℎ12 ) 𝑟1
Pumping unconfined
• A pumping test with constant pumping rate of 700 m³/d is conducted in an unconfined aquifer of
17.82 m thickness. Once steady state in the drawdown was observed, the drawdown in the closest
observation well 1.20 m away from the pumping well was 1.44 m. In the second observation well,
which is 6.00 m away, the drawdown was 4cm.
b) Determine the transmissivity of the aquifer with the method of Dupuit (assume a reasonable value
for R).

𝑄 𝑅
𝑘𝑓 = ln
𝜋 (ℎ02 − ℎ2 ) 𝑟
Pumping unconfined
• A pumping test with constant pumping rate of 700 m³/d is conducted in an unconfined aquifer of
17.82 m thickness. Once steady state in the drawdown was observed, the drawdown in the closest
observation well 1.20 m away from the pumping well was 1.44 m. In the second observation well,
which is 6.00 m away, the drawdown was 4cm.
c) Relate the difference in values between Dupuit and Thiem to the underlying assumptions of both
methods. Which method do you trust more?
Diagnostic plots
• Check Renard et al. 2005!
• a) The diagnostic plots below show the drawdown and its derivative over time for a pumping test in
a confined aquifer and in a leaky aquifer in double logarithmic as well as in a semi-logarithmic axes.
Explain the differences in the curves based on the behavior of the water.

• b) Explain how a skin effect and wellbore storage would affect the drawdown behavior in the
confined aquifer.

• Confined aquifer
Diagnostic plots
• Check Renard et al. 2005!
• a) The diagnostic plots below show the drawdown and its derivative over time for a pumping test in
a confined aquifer and in a leaky aquifer in double logarithmic as well as in a semi-logarithmic axes.
Explain the differences in the curves based on the behavior of the water.
• Confined aquifer

Theiss!
Confined aquifer -> storativity based on compressibility
Water flowing towards the well horizontally
(Pressure) cone is constantly growing but growth rate
slows down quickly
Diagnostic plots
• Check Renard et al. 2005!
• a) The diagnostic plots below show the drawdown and its derivative over time for a pumping test in
a confined aquifer and in a leaky aquifer in double logarithmic as well as in a semi-logarithmic axes.
Explain the differences in the curves based on the behavior of the water.
• Leaky aquifer

Cone is growing rapidly due to storativity of confined

aquifer layer
Water is infiltrating with some delay from the leaky
layer above balancing out water extraction for long
times
Cone becomes steady
Diagnostic plots
• Check Renard et al. 2005!
• b) Explain how a skin effect and wellbore storage would affect the drawdown behavior in the
confined aquifer.
• Confined aquifer

Wellbore storage:
Little bump in drawdown at the beginning as water
that is stored inside the well is extracted quickly.
Then return to Theiss

Skin Effect:
Controls how quickly drawdown returns to Theiss as it
describes transfer between well and aquifer. Relevant
for early times