Hydrology and Floodplain Analysis

Dr. Phil Bedient

Chapter 8 Part 2
Hydrology and Floodplain
Analysis, Chapter 8.9
T = Transmissivity
K = Hydraulic Conductivity
b = Thickness of Aquifer
Q = Flow Out of Well
hi = Head of Obv. well i
ri = Radial Distance from
pumping well i
K = Hydraulic
Conductivity
Q = Flow Out of Well
hi = Head of
Observation well i
ri = Radial Distance
from pumping well i
 Write Darcys law
from A to B, using C
as the datum:

25
Darcys law from pt B K= 10ft/d

to C: 5 K= 0.3ft/d

Set two velocities

equal at steady state
(1) Discharging well
near an
impermeable
boundary

(2) Equivalent
hydraulic system in
an aquifer of infinite
areal extent
The steady-state drawdown
s at any point (x,y):
Hydrology and Floodplain
Analysis, Chapter 8.10
 Theis
developed equations for
drawdown in 1935:

s = drawdown
Q = well discharge
h = head
r = radial distance
t = time (mins)
S = storage coefficient
T = transmissivity
 For
small values of r and large values of t
the parameter u can be ignored.

s = drawdown
Q = well discharge
r = radial distance
t0 = time
S = storage coefficient
T = transmissivity
 Ratherthan pumping the well for a
period of time, a volume of water is
suddenly added or subtracted.

rc = radius of casing
y0 = vertical difference between water inside and outside at t = 0
yt = vertical difference between water inside and outside at time t
Re = effective radial distance over which head is dissipated
R = radial distance of undisturbed portion of aquifer from centerline
Le = length of screened, perforated or open section of well
t = time
K = hydraulic conductivity
 Whenpumping starts from a well in a
leaky aquifer, drawdown of the
piezometric surface can be given by:

K = vertical hydraulic conductivity

b = thickness of aquitard
s = drawdown
Q = well discharge
T = transmissivity
r = radial distance
Hydrology and Floodplain
Analysis, Chapter 8.11

Chand Baori
stepwell in
India.
 Wells
are lined holes used for a variety of
purposes
Ground water pumping
Artificial recharge
Waste disposal
Water level observation
Water quality monitoring
 Cable tool
A bit is raised and dropped
over and over
Simple and cheap for
shallow wells
Up to 600m

Rotary
Uses a hollow bit
Can exceed150m

Jetting High pressure

hydraulic drilling
Very fast construction, often
used for observation.
 Once a well is drilled it must
be completed so that it
remains efficient
First a well must be cased to
provide structural support
Cement grout is then
introduced into the annular
space.
Screens are installed with
artificial gravel packs
around them
Hydrology and Floodplain
Analysis, Chapter 8.12
 Finite-difference flow model that simulates
groundwater flow through porous media
(aquifers)
Created by the USGS
Also allows users to model contaminant
transport in groundwater
Can model different remediation strategies as
well
Reactive barriers, pump and treat, natural
attenuation, etc.
 Typical input parameters
Hydrogeological: Hydraulic conductivity,
longitudinal dispersivity, groundwater boundary
conditions, aquifer thickness
Chemical: Concentration, half-life, mass-yield for
decay products, source location
Misc: time steps

Typical MODFLOW output

showing contamination plume
migration from a point source