Moisture in the
Phreatic zone
Within the phreatic zone all pore
spaces are filled with water and the
different states of moisture, moisture
tension and etc.
Aquifer
a geologic formation which
contains water and
transmit it from one point to
another in quantities
sufficient to permit economic
development
Aquiclude
is a formation which contains water but cannot transmit it rapidly enough to
furnish a significant supply to a well or spring.
Aquifuge
Has no interconnected openings and cannot hold or transmit water.
Secondary Specific Yield
Porosity Original Porosity
Porosity of an aquifer is the
. ratio of the water
the ratio of the pore of a material is that which will drain freely from the
volume to the total which existed results from fractures material to the total volume of the
volume of the formation at the time the material and solution channel. formation and is always less than
was formed the porosity.
Movement of Groundwater
Darcy (1856) – confirmed
Poiseuille and Hagen
the applicability of the
developed the flow of water
principles of the fluid flow
in permeable media
in capillary tubes
Darcy’s Law
v=ks
where v = velocity of flow
s = slope of the hydraulic gradient
k = coefficient having the units of v (meters per day)
The discharge q is the product of Area A and velocity. The effective area is the gross area times the
porosity p of the medium. Hence
q = KpAs = KAs
where K = coefficient of permeability or the hydraulic conductivity
𝑤 𝑤
K=k = Cd² 𝜇
𝜇
where k = intrinsic permeability of the medium
w = specific weight of the fluid
µ = absolute viscosity
C = factor involving the shape, packing, porosity and other characteristics of the medium
d = average pore of the medium
It is convenient to use the transmissibility T to represent the flow rate per through unit area under unit
hydraulic gradient:
T = KY
where Y = the saturated thickness of the aquifer, with this coefficient eq. 6-4 becomes
q = TBs
where B = width of the aquifer
Determination of Permeability
Permeameters – laboratory
measurements of permeability
Today permeability is most
commonly determined by
pumping tests. By using the Easy to change Easy to change
principles of well hydraulics it colors. colors.
You can simply impress your
is possible to estimate average audience and add a unique
permeability of an aquifer for a zing and appeal to your
Presentations.
large distance around the test
well
SOURCES OF GROUNDWATER
Meteoric water – almost all groundwater derived from precipitation
Connate water – was present in the rock at its formation and its frequently
highly saline
Juvenile water – formed chemically within the earth and brought to the surface
in intrusive rocks, occurs in small quantities
Water from precipitation reaches groundwater by infiltration and
percolation. Direct percolation is most effective in recharging ground water
where the soil is highly permeable or the water table is close to the surface.
Where annual rainfall is relatively low and the water table is hundreds
of meters below the surface, little or no recharge from rain can be expected. In
such areas irrigation water may provide for some recharge, but seepage from
lakes and stream channels into permeable gravels is likely to be the main
source of recharge.
Influent streams – streams contributing to
groundwater
DISCHARGE OF GROUNDWATER
Effluent streams Perennial streams
– streams - are
intersecting the generally effluent at
water table and least a portion of
receiving their length
groundwater flow.
Where an aquifer intersects the earth’s surface, a spring or seep will form. Most
springs are small and of little hydrologic significance, although even a small spring may provide
water for a single farmstead.
Where the water table is close to the surface, groundwater may be discharged by
direct evaporation or transpiration from the capillary fringe. Plants deriving their water from
groundwater, called phreatophytes, often have root system extending to depths of 12m or more.
This invisible evapotranspiration loss may be quite large. At a rate of 1m ∕ year the loss be 10⁶m³∕
km².
