Field hydrogeology

304 Pages·2017·6.358 MB·English

by  Rick Brassington

Field Hydrogeology
TheGeological FieldGuideSeries
FieldHydrogeology,Thirdedition,RickBrassington
BasicGeologicalMapping,Fourthedition,JohnBarnes
TheFieldDescriptionofMetamorphicRocks,NormanFry
TheMappingofGeologicalStructures,KenMcClay
FieldGeophysics,Thirdedition,JohnMilsom
TheFieldDescriptionofIgneousRocks,RichardThorpeandGeoffBrown
SedimentaryRocksintheField,Thirdedition,MauriceTucker
Field Hydrogeology
FOURTHEDITION
Rick Brassington
ConsultantHydrogeologistWarrington,UK
Thiseditionirstpublished2017
©2017JohnWiley&SonsLtd
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10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
CONTENTS
Preface xi
Acknowledgements xiii
1 Introduction 1
1.1 GroundwaterSystems 1
1.2 ConceptualModel 5
1.3 GroundwaterComputerModelling 11
1.4 HydrogeologicalReportWriting 12
1.5 ExpertWitness 14
2 DeskStudy 17
2.1 DeiningtheArea 18
2.2 IdentifyingtheAquifers 18
2.3 GroundwaterLevels 20
2.4 SurfaceWater 21
2.5 Recharge 21
2.6 GroundwaterUse 23
2.7 GroundwaterChemistry 24
2.8 AerialPhotographsandSatelliteImagery 25
2.9 PlanningaFieldworkProgramme 28
3 FieldEvaluationofAquifers 29
3.1 GrainSizeAnalysis 29
3.2 HydraulicPropertiesofAquifers 32
3.3 HydraulicPropertiesandRockTypes 35
3.4 AssessingHydraulicProperties 42
3.5 UsingHydraulicPropertyInformation 44
4 GroundwaterLevels 49
4.1 Water-LevelDippers 49
4.2 ContinuousWater-LevelRecorders 55
4.3 MeasuringGroundLevelsandLocations 60
4.4 Tool-Box 64
4.5 WellCatalogue 66
4.6 FieldSurveysforWells,BoreholesandSprings 66
vii
CONTENTS
4.7 InterpretationofAbstractionBoreholeWaterLevels 73
4.8 Groundwater-LevelMonitoringNetworks 82
4.9 Groundwater-LevelFluctuations 84
4.10 ManagingGroundwater-LevelData 93
4.11 ConstructingGroundwaterContourMapsandFlowNets 94
4.12 InterpretationofContourMapsandFlowNets 96
4.13 UsingOtherGroundwaterInformation 99
5 Rainfall,SpringsandStreams 102
5.1 Precipitation 102
5.2 Evaporation 107
5.3 Springs 109
5.4 Stream-FlowMeasurement 117
5.5 Stage–DischargeRelationships 130
5.6 ChoosingtheBestMethod 132
5.7 ProcessingFlowData 132
6 PumpingTests 135
6.1 WhatIsaPumpingTest? 135
6.2 PlanningaPumpingTest 136
6.3 PumpsandPumping 136
6.4 On-SiteMeasurements 142
6.5 Pre-TestMonitoring 148
6.6 TestSet-up 149
6.7 StepTests 150
6.8 ConstantRateTests 152
6.9 RecoveryTests 153
6.10 PumpingTestAnalysis 154
6.11 TestsonSingleBoreholes 164
6.12 PackerTests 169
7 GroundwaterChemistry 172
7.1 AnalyticalSuitesandDeterminands 172
7.2 SamplingEquipment 174
7.3 SamplingProtocols 188
7.4 MonitoringNetworks 199
7.5 UsingChemicalData 200
8 RechargeEstimation 205
8.1 WaterBalance 205
8.2 RainfallRecharge 206
viii
CONTENTS
8.3 InducedRecharge 211
8.4 OtherSourcesofRecharge 213
9 SpecialistTechniques 215
9.1 BoreholeandPiezometerInstallation 215
9.2 Down-HoleGeophysics 223
9.3 UsingArtiicialTracers 229
10 PracticalApplications 237
10.1 BoreholePrognoses 237
10.2 GroundwaterSupplies 238
10.3 WellsinShallowAquifers 244
10.4 ContaminatedLandInvestigations 245
10.5 LandillsandLeachate 248
10.6 GeothermalEnergy 251
10.7 GroundwaterLoweringbyExcavation 253
10.8 RisingWaterTables 258
10.9 Soakaways 260
10.10 InvestigatingWetlandHydrology 260
A GoodWorkingPractice 263
A1.1 SafetyCodes 263
A1.2 SafetyClothingandEquipment 263
A1.3 DistressSignals 265
A1.4 ExposureorHypothermia 265
A1.5 HeatExhaustion 265
A1.6 WorkingNearWells,BoreholesandMonitoring
Piezometers 266
A1.7 HygienePrecautionsforWaterSupplies 266
A1.8 TrialPits 267
A1.9 ElectricalEquipment 267
A1.10 FillingFuelTanks 267
A1.11 WasteDisposalSites 267
A1.12 StreamFlowMeasurement 268
B ConversionFactors 269
ReferencesandFurtherReading 274
Index 281
ix
PREFACE
IwasaskedtorevisemybookbyRachaelBallard,mythenWileyeditor,bothto
updateitandtoproducematerialforane-bookedition;thisIhopeIhavedone.As
always,thebookisintendedasahands-onguidetoieldmethodsinhydrogeol-
ogy,explainingwhattechniquesareneededandhowtocarrythemout.Thebook’s
layoutmirrorsthelogicalsequenceforthedevelopmentofaconceptualmodelto
understandthehydrogeologyofanarea,withtheassociatedieldstudiesneededto
validatethatunderstanding.Processingandinterpretingtheinformationcollected
duringadata-gatheringexerciseisnecessarytodevelopyourconceptualunder-
standingofaparticularsiteand,consequently,thesetaskshavealsobeenincluded.
Thisfourtheditionupdatestheinformationonthemostrecentieldmethodsand
instruments,althoughmypracticalapproachincludessuggestionsonimprovis-
ingmeasurementswhenspecialistequipmentisnotavailableorcannotbeused.I
haveincludedanadditionalcasehistory,bringingthetotaltoive,againusingmy
projectsasinspiration.Theyillustratehowieldmeasurementsareinterpretedand
theinterrelationshipsbetweendifferentaspectsofgroundwatersystems,aswell
ashowtotakemeasurementsindificultsituations.
Although the book is primarily aimed at graduate and undergraduate earth
sciencestudents,earliereditionshavealsoprovedusefultomanyothers.Conse-
quently,IhaverearrangedthecontentsofChapter10,movingsometoChapter
1, and have included how to carry out a borehole prognosis, despite it being a
desk-topstudyratherthanieldwork.Thereisagreateremphasisonabstraction
systems, including those from shallow aquifers; I have included geothermal
systems, which are growing in popularity; have rewritten the section on the
impactoflargeexcavationsongroundwatersystems;andincludedashortsection
onsoakawaysystems.However,theunderlyingthemeofthebookcontinuesto
bethefundamentalimportanceofthegeologyofanareaintryingtounderstand
its hydrogeology, and the signiicance of ield observations in developing this
understanding.Bothareessentialforreliablehydrogeologicalinterpretation,so
makesurethattheyarealwaysacentralpartofyourwork.
RickBrassington
2016
xi
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Alargenumberofpeoplehaveprovidedhelpfulcommentsandguidanceduring
theplanningandpreparationofthisrevisionandIregretthatitisnotpossibleto
namethemall.Inparticular,IwouldliketothankKimBeesley,GeorgeDarling,
Noelle Odling and Ken Rushton for their constructive criticism and helpful
suggestionsforthisfourthedition;andinWileyIwouldliketothankRachael
Ballard,ExecutiveCommissioningEditor,andDeliaSandford,ManagingEditor,
fortheirpatiencewithme,andNithyaSechinforherhelpandpatienceinputting
togethermydraft.Iamalsoindebtedtoseveralofmyclientsforpermissionto
usedatafromprojectsIhavecompletedforthem,includingthosethataskedfor
thesitedetailstoremainanonymous.Asever,Iamespeciallygratefultomywife
Sandraforherlovingsupportandpatience.
Gratefulacknowledgementismadeforthefollowingillustrativematerialused
inthisbookasfollows:
Figures1.3,4.14and8.1,andTable6.5:CIWEM;Figures2.2,4.17,4.18,4.21,
and4.27,andTables2.1(part),6.5(part),and10.1:EnvironmentAgency©Envi-
ronmentAgency;Figure3.1a:ImpactTestEquipmentLtd;Figures3.4and7.8,
andTable3.1(part):USGeologicalSurvey;Table3.2:Dept.ofEconomicand
SocialAffairs,GroundwaterintheWesternHemisphere,UnitedNations(1976);
Figure3.6:redrawnfromtheGroundwaterManual,USDepartmentoftheInte-
rior(1995)andusedwithpermissionoftheBureauofReclamation;Table4.1:
CambertronicsLtd;Figures4.4and7.2:In-SituEuropeLtd;Figure4.15:redrawn
fromHubbert(1940);Figures4.18and7.5:BritishGeologicalSurvey©NERC
Allrightsreserved;Figures6.16and10.1,andTable3.1(part):GeologicalSoci-
ety of London; Figure 6.14: US Army Corps of Engineers; Figure 7.4: Solinst
CanadaLtd;Figure7.6:IsotechLaboratories;Figure7.7:DepartmentofGeology
andGeophysics,UniversityofUtah;Figure9.4:EuropeanGeophysicalServices
Ltd;Figure10.4:Springer-VerlagBerlinHeidelberg,Copyright©2015;Figure
10.7:redrawnfromBrassington(2014)bypermissionofExtractiveIndustryGeol-
ogyConferencesLtd;BoxFigures1.1and1.2andthedataforCaseHistory1:
ShepherdGilmourEnvironmentLtd;BoxFigure2.1,thedataforCaseHistory2,
andtheexampleusedinSection10.5.1:Newcastle-under-LymeBoroughCouncil.
xiii