Field determination of the hydraulic properties of leaky multiple aquifer systems

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Abstract
A new field method is proposed for determining the hydraulic properties of aquifers and aquitards in leaky systems. Conventional methods of analyzing leaky aquifers usually rely on drawdown data from the pumped aquifer alone. Such an approach is not sufficient to characterize a leaky system; our new method requires observation wells to be placed not only in the aquifer being pumped but also in the confining layers (aquitards) above and/or below. The ratio of the drawdown in the aquitard to that measured in the aquifer at the same time and the same radial distance from the pumping well can be used to evaluate the hydraulic properties of the aquitard. The new method is supported by theory and has been applied to the coastal groundwater basin of Oxnard, California. The field results are in good agreement with laboratory measurements.

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