Principles of Groundwater Engineering

567 Pages·1990·12.011 MB·\567

by  William C. Walton (Author)

Principles
of
GROUNDWATER
ENGINEERING
WILLIAM C. WALTON
CRC Press
Taylor &. Francis Group
Boca Raton London New York
CRC Press is an imprint of the
Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Walton, William Clarence
Principles of groundwater engineering,
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-87371-283-8
1. Groundwater— Engineering. 2. Water— Analysis. I. Walton, William C.
H. Title.
GB1179.9.W43 1991
462.T8643—d c20 90-90765
CEP
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Library of Congress Card Number 90-90765
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Preface
This book attempts to unify and bring together under one cover
principles of groundwater engineering thereby providing a compre­
hensive manual for professionals working in the groundwater in­
dustry. Quantitative aspects of groundwater supply, drainage, and
waste disposal are prime concerns. Although this book was specifi­
cally written for practicing engineers, geologists, and
hydrogeologists it should be useful to water well contractors, edu­
cators and students, industry representatives, and others.
The application of theory and practical aspects of groundwater
engineering are stressed rather than the derivation of equations.
Ample references are cited to guide study of theoretical background,
scientific principles, and technology topics. It is assumed that the
reader has a working knowledge of the basic principles of geology,
physics, chemistry, mathematics, and hydrogeology.
This book is aimed at bridging the gap between groundwater
theory, covered in numerous textbooks, and groundwater problem
solving. Towards this end, voluminous appendices are provided
which contain quantitative data called for in groundwater flow and
contaminant migration equations. Illustrative case histories describ­
ing the application of groundwater engineering principles to field
conditions are omitted because they are readily available in other
literature. Tables are restricted to the Appendix to avoid disruptions
in the continuity of concept presentations. Because of the enormous
recent growth of groundwater literature, particularly concerning
contaminant migration, coverage but not reference support of cer­
tain topics is limited.
The computer has become a routine aid in the modeling of aquifer
systems. Most professional workers have immediate access to a
computer through a time-sharing terminal to a remote mainframe or
minicomputer, or have a personal microcomputer sitting on their
desk. Although this book does not contain computer program list­
ings, the availability of pertinent groundwater programs and soft­
ware is referenced throughout the text.
Unfortunately, easy access to computers often leads to unrealistic
expectations concerning the precision of quantitative analyses. Be­
cause groundwater engineering modeling is only the art and science
of approximation, precisions ranging from a few percent to orders of
magnitude, depending largely on the degree of hydrogeologic and
hydrogeochemical complexities, are considered to be realistic.
This book is a distillation of my training and experience over the
past 44 years. Many colleagues over these years contributed in
various ways to the writing of this book especially Bill Drescher,
Frank Foley, Stanley Norris, Ed Schaefer, Ray Nace, Smitty, Bill
Ackermann, Burt Maxey, Bill Guyton, John Harshbarger, Mahdi
Hantush, Harvey Banks, Tom Prickett, Phil Davis, and Olin Braids.
This book would have been impossible without the continuing sup­
port of my wife Ellen.
This book is dedicated to my three granddaughters: Alyse
Solberg, Heidi Solberg, and Katy Kramer.
William C. Walton
Mahomet, Illinois
William C. Walton received his B.S. in Civil Engineering from
Lawrence Technological University, Southfield, Michigan in 1948
and attended Indiana University, University of Wisconsin, Ohio
State University, and Boise State University. Bill served for 10 years
as Director of the Water Resources Research Center and Professor
of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Minnesota. He
taught groundwater courses at the University of Illinois on a part
time basis for 2 years.
Bill’s 44 years of experience in the water resources field include
2 years as a Water Well Contractor at Detroit, Michigan; 1 year with
the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation at Cody, Wyoming; 8 years with the
U.S. Geological Survey at Madison, Wisconsin, Columbus, Ohio,
and Boise, Idaho; 6 years with the Illinois State Water Survey at
Urbana, Illinois; 6 years with consulting firms including Shaefer and
Walton at Columbus, Ohio; Camp Dresser and McKee, Inc. at
Champaign, Illinois; and Geraghty and Miller at Champaign, Illi­

nois; and 3 years as a self employed Consultant In Water Resources
at Mahomet, Illinois. He was Executive Director of the Upper Mis­

sissippi River Basin Commission at Minneapolis, Minnesota for 5
years and has participated in water resources projects throughout the
United States and Canada, and in Haiti, El Salvador, Libya, and
Saudi Arabia. Bill is presently a self employed writer.
The positions he has held include: Vice President of the National
Water Well Association: founding editor of the Journal Ground
Water, Chairman of the Ground Water Committee of the Hydraulics
Division, American Society of Civil Engineers; member of the U.S.
Geological Survey Advisory Committee on Water Data for Public
Use; Consultant to the Office of Science and Technology, Washing­
ton, D.C.; member of the Steering Committee of the International
Ground Water Modeling Center; and advisor to the United States
Delegation to the Coordinating Council of the International Hydro­
logical Decade of UNESCO.
Bill served as a Visiting Scientist for the American Geophysical
Union and the American Geological Institute and lectured at many
universities throughout the United States. He also lectured at short
courses sponsored for several years by the International Ground
Water Modeling Center and presented papers at several professional
society meetings in Europe. Bill is author of over 75 technical papers
and 6 books: Groundwater Resource Evaluation, McGraw Hill; The
World Of Water, Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London; Practical As­
pects of Groundwater Modeling, National Water Well Association;
and Groundwater Pumping Tests, Analytical Groundwater Model­
ing, and Numerical Groundwater Modeling, Lewis Publishers.
Contents
1. Introduction....................................................................................1
Definitions......................................................................................5
Natural and Artificial Recharge................................................10
Quality Requirements................................................................14
Contaminant Sources and Remedial Measures.....................21
2. Nonleaky Artesian Radial Flow...............................................29
Finite Well Diameter.................................................................36
Wellbore Storage........................................................................38
Well Partial Penetration........................................... 39
Aquifer Anisotrophy..................................................................44
Variable Production Well Discharge.......................................46
Flowing W ell..............................................................................50
Multi-
Aquifer Well....................................................................52
Fractured Rock............................................................................54
3. Leaky Artesian Radial Flow......................................................63
Flowing W ell..............................................................................69
Two Mutually Leaky Aquifers.................................................72
Aquitard Storativity...................................................................74
Subsidence....................................................................................79
4. Water Table Radial Flow............................................................93
Unsaturated Flow........................................................................94
Delayed Gravity Drainage........................................................96
Conversion from Artesian........................................................100
Mound beneath Spreading Area.............................................102
5. Boundaries and Flow Nets........................................................105
Image Well Theory...................................................................106
Barrier Boundary......................................................................107
Recharge Boundary...................................................................110
Discontinuity.............................................................................119
vii
Multiple Boundary Systems...................................................120
Flow Net Analysis....................................................................122
6. Aquifer and Tracer Tests.........................................................133
Aquifer Test Design.................................................................134
Aquifer Test Analysis..............................................................139
Tight Formations.......................................................................150
Slug Test....................................................................................157
Well Production Test...............................................................163
Fractured Rock..........................................................................165
Field Tracer Test.......................................................................167
7. Contaminant Migration............................................................171
Hydrodynamic Dispersion.......................................................172
Sorption......................................................................................179
Radioactive Decay....................................................................187
Immiscible Contaminants........................................................188
One-Dimensional Mass Transport.........................................189
Two-Dimensional Mass Transport........................................191
Radial Mass Transport.............................................................196
Advection from Stream to Well.............................................197
Upconing beneath W ell...........................................................198
Production Well Near Saltwater Wedge..............................201
Fresh-Salt Water Interface......................................................202
Island Fresh Water Lens.........................................................205
Heat Convection and Conduction..........................................206
8. Production and Drainage Facilities.......................................215
Production Wells.......................................................................217
Collector Wells.........................................................................227
Construction Dewatering........................................................229
Drains.........................................................................................236
Mines..........................................................................................241
9. Modeling...................................................................................247
Model Development.................................................................249
Analytical Models....................................................................256
Numerical Models....................................................................261
Mainframe or Minicomputer Software.................................265
Microcomputer Software........................................................272
Graphics.....................................................................................278
viii
10. Finite-Difference Flow Model................................................297
Time Increments and Grid Spacing.......................................306
Initial Water Level Conditions..............................................309
Boundaries................................................................................309
Production Well Head.............................................................311
Partial Penetrating Wells.........................................................313
Wellbore Storage......................................................................314
FlowingWell..............................................................................315
Mines..........................................................................................317
Drains.........................................................................................320
Leakage through Aquitards.....................................................322
Induced StreamBed Infiltration..............................................327
Areal Recharge..........................................................................330
Evapotranspiration...................................................................331
Storativity Conversion.............................................................333
Decreasing Transmissivity......................................................334
Delayed Gravity Drainage......................................................337
Multi-Aquifer System..............................................................338
Aquifer Layering.......................................................................339
Multi-Aquifer Well..................................................................341
11. Random Walk Mass Transport Model..................................345
Two-Dimensional Contaminant Migration...........................347
Initial Contaminant Conditions...............................................355
Slug and Continuous Local Sources.....................................356
Injection Well Continuous Source.........................................361
Continuous Areal Sources......................................................362
Well, Surface Water, and Areal Sinks..................................364
Three-Dimensional Contaminant Migration.........................371
References........................................................................................377
Appendices.......................................................................................409
A. Widely Used Textbooks and Journals.............................409
1. Textbooks..................................................................409
2. Journals.....................................................................410
B. Representative Aquifer System Characteristic
Values................................................................................413
1. Porosity.....................................................................413
ix