Chromium oxidation by manganese (hydr)oxides in a California aquifer

There are increasing concerns with elevated levels of Cr(VI) in the environment because it is a strong oxidant, corrosive, and carcinogenic. The concerns extend to the presence of Cr(VI) in many aquifers in California and elsewhere, where relatively high levels have been attributed to both industrial pollution and natural processes. The authors have, therefore, determined if natural redox processes contribute to the presence of high Cr(VI) concentrations (6–36 μg L⁻¹) in an aquifer in central California relative to non-detectable concentrations (<0.1 μg L⁻¹) in an adjacent aquifer. Specifically, the distribution and the redox speciation of dissolved (<0.45 μm) Cr have been compared with those of particulate Mn and Fe oxy-hydroxides in sediments, using X-ray absorption spectroscopy at the Mn and Fe L-edges. The analyses show a correlation between the presence of dissolved Cr(VI) and Mn (hydr)oxide minerals, which are the only common, naturally occurring minerals known to oxidize Cr(III) in laboratory experiments. This covariance substantiates the results of those experiments and previous field studies that indicate natural oxidation mechanisms might account for the relatively high levels of Cr(VI) in the study site, as well as for elevated concentrations in other aquifers with similar biogeochemical conditions.     

基于转移概率随机模拟的DNAPL运移二维和三维数值模拟对比研究

非均质介质的空间维度变化对重非水相流体（DNAPL） 的运移具有重要的影响。在充分考虑地质体的空间连续 性、不对称性以及各向异性等特征的基础上,采用基于马尔可夫链的转移概率（transition probability） 模型来构建非均质 随机场。该文通过TMVOC-MP软件来模拟DNAPL在非均质介质中的运移规律,探讨非均质随机场的水平空间连续性、 空间维度变化以及侧向运移过程对DNAPL运移的影响。结果表明,介质的水平空间连续性越好,DNAPL在水平方向的 迁移范围越大,在垂向的迁移范围越小;相比于三维模型,二维模型中DNAPL在水平方向的展布更大、在透镜体上的蓄 积量更多,在实际应用中以二维模型代替三维模型会加大模拟结果与实际污染情况之间的误差;侧向运移过程削弱了单 个平面的非均质性对DNAPL运移的控制,当存在侧向运移时,DNAPL绕过透镜体所运移的距离以及在透镜体上的蓄积 量会相应减小。     

含水层层状非均质对地下水流系统的影响

区域尺度上含水层非均质具有复杂的结构性和随机性,难以准确刻画,造成非均质对区域地下水流系统的影响机制研究不够深入。本文以鄂尔多斯盆地白垩系地下水流系统为研究实例,选择典型剖面,采用剖面二维随机数值模拟方法,通过对比不同非均质刻画方法下地下水流场的变化,探讨含水层层状非均质对地下水流系统的影响机制。结果显示,均质条件下模型各向异性（含水层水平和垂向渗透系数比值Kh/Kv）取值为1000时,地下水流场与实际条件较为接近;非均质条件下,渗透系数方差取值0.91,水平相关长度取值5000 m,Kh/Kv取值150时,接近实际条件。研究表明,在大尺度地下水流模拟研究中,采用水平相关长度、渗透系数方差和各向异性值三个变量生成的随机场能很好地刻画含水层的层状非均质特征及其对水流系统的影响控制作用。由于含水层不同尺度层状非均质的叠加效应,采用均质各向异性介质等效概化含水层层状非均质性会造成等效各向异性值偏大失真的效应。     

六价铬污染模拟含水层的注入型黄原胶凝胶阻截屏障试验研究

由于工业废物的不合理排放,大量的重金属污染物Cr(Ⅵ)进入地下环境,严重威胁着人类健康和生态环境。Cr(Ⅵ)在地下水环境中高度易迁移的特性,造成其污染修复上的困难,亟待一种绿色、经济、有效的阻截方式提高地下水对Cr(Ⅵ)的阻控能力。研究利用焦亚硫酸钠原位还原地下水中的Cr(Ⅵ),产生Cr³⁺作为黄原胶交联剂,形成凝胶阻截屏障,探究了各类成分对凝胶时间、黏度变化的影响及凝胶屏障对含水层的阻截效果,得到如下结论：(1)在Cr(Ⅵ)质量浓度达到200 mg/L的体系中,质量分数0.4%的黄原胶溶液在1.5 h内即可形成具有一定机械强度的凝胶;(2)凝胶具有耐盐性,适用于常见含水层,2.5～5 g/L的Na⁺和K⁺对凝胶起促进作用;(3)注入型凝胶阻截屏障能够大幅降低中砂介质的渗透系数至1×10^-7 cm/s,满足地下水阻截需求。注入型凝胶屏障的形成无需引入有害物质,阻截结束后注入型屏障可经生物作用自然降解,不会长期改变含水层水力条件。研究成果可为Cr(Ⅵ)污染地下水中凝胶阻截屏障的构筑提供理论基础。     

Estimation of regional-scale groundwater flow properties in the Bengal Basin of India and Bangladesh

Quantitative evaluation of management strategies for long-term supply of safe groundwater for drinking from the Bengal Basin aquifer (India and Bangladesh) requires estimation of the large-scale hydrogeologic properties that control flow. The Basin consists of a stratified, heterogeneous sequence of sediments with aquitards that may separate aquifers locally, but evidence does not support existence of regional confining units. Considered at a large scale, the Basin may be aptly described as a single aquifer with higher horizontal than vertical hydraulic conductivity. Though data are sparse, estimation of regional-scale aquifer properties is possible from three existing data types: hydraulic heads, ¹⁴C concentrations, and driller logs. Estimation is carried out with inverse groundwater modeling using measured heads, by model calibration using estimated water ages based on ¹⁴C, and by statistical analysis of driller logs. Similar estimates of hydraulic conductivities result from all three data types; a resulting typical value of vertical anisotropy (ratio of horizontal to vertical conductivity) is 10⁴. The vertical anisotropy estimate is supported by simulation of flow through geostatistical fields consistent with driller log data. The high estimated value of vertical anisotropy in hydraulic conductivity indicates that even disconnected aquitards, if numerous, can strongly control the equivalent hydraulic parameters of an aquifer system.     

Numerical modeling of contaminant transport in a stratified heterogeneous aquifer with dipping anisotropy

The combined influence of dip angle and adsorption heterogeneity on solute transport mechanisms in heterogeneous media can be understood by performing simulations of steady-state flow and transient transport in a heterogeneous aquifer with dipping anisotropy. Reactive and non-reactive contaminant transport in various types of heterogeneous aquifer is studied by simulations. The hydraulic conductivity (K) of the heterogeneous aquifer is generated by HYDRO_GEN with a Gaussian correlation spectrum. By considering the heterogeneity of the adsorption distribution coefficient (K _d), a perfect negative correlation between lnK and lnK _d is obtained by using the spherical grains model. The generated K and K _d are used as input to groundwater flow and transport models to investigate the effects of dipping sedimentary heterogeneity on contaminant plume evolution. Simulation results showed that the magnitude of the dip angle strongly controls the plume evolution in the studied anisotropic and heterogeneous aquifer. The retarded average pore-water velocity (v/R) of the adsorption model significantly controls the horizontal spreading of the plume. The bottom plume is intensively retarded in the zones between the dipping lenses of lower hydraulic conductivity and the no-flow bottom boundary. The implications of these findings are very important for the management of contaminated heterogeneous aquifers.     

焦作地区浅层地下水铬(Ⅵ)污染机理及迁移预测

通过对焦作地区浅层地下水中铬(Ⅵ)污染物分布特征进行调查,分析了研究区浅层地下水中铬(Ⅵ)的污染机理,并运用Visual MODFLOW建立地下水流模型及溶质运移模型,模拟预测了浅层地下水中铬(Ⅵ)的迁移规律。结果表明:研究区浅层地下水铬(Ⅵ)污染严重,污染源是位于老君庙西南方向的焦作某电厂堆灰场,主要原因是露天堆放的粉煤灰中的铬(Ⅵ)污染物在长期淋滤作用下下渗污染含水层。气候条件、包气带岩性、地下水化学环境以及人为因素等也间接使浅层地下水铬(Ⅵ)浓度升高;模拟结果显示在未来的五年时间内,受地形和地下水动力场的影响,浅层地下水中铬(Ⅵ)的迁移方向与地下径流方向一致,沿大沙河水流方向上扩散速度更快,污染区域面积逐渐增大。      

Effects of horizontal strain in estimating specific storage and compaction in confined and leaky aquifer systems

 Mathematical and numerical distinctions are made between developments of governing equations involving groundwater flow and granular displacement where (1) only vertical strain and no change in total normal load are assumed, and (2) such limitations are eliminated. The former is referred to here as the Jacob-Terzaghi method; the latter is referred to as the Biot method. Numerical comparisons of drawdown, compaction, and strain are made for hypothetical confined and leaky aquifer systems for one- and three-dimensional strain problems. Simulation results indicate that incorporation of horizontal strain results in reduced drawdowns. Vertical compaction for a specified stress distribution is greatly reduced when horizontal strain is invoked. The distribution of strain components indicates that approximately two-thirds of the total volume strain originates from horizontal compaction in pumped aquifers. Incorporation of horizontal strain also affects the distribution of flux through the overlying confining layer as a function of distance from the pumping well and may ultimately affect the interpretation of aquifer-test data. Received, January 1999 / Revised, May 1999, August 1999 / Accepted, August 1999     

Chromium,chromium isotopes and selected trace elements,western Mojave Desert,USA

Chromium(VI) concentrations in excess of the California Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 50 μg/L occur naturally in alkaline, oxic ground-water in alluvial aquifers in the western Mojave Desert, southern California. The highest concentrations were measured in aquifers eroded from mafic rock, but Cr(VI) as high as 27 μg/L was measured in aquifers eroded from granitic rock. Chromium(VI) concentrations did not exceed 5 μg/L at pH < 7.5 regardless of geology. δ⁵³Cr values in native ground-water ranged from 0.7 to 5.1‰ and values were fractionated relative to the average δ⁵³Cr composition of 0‰ in the earth’s crust. Positive δ⁵³Cr values of 1.2 and 2.3‰ were measured in ground-water recharge areas having low Cr concentrations, consistent with the addition of Cr(VI) that was fractionated on mineral surfaces prior to entering solution. δ⁵³Cr values, although variable, did not consistently increase or decrease with increasing Cr concentrations as ground-water flowed down gradient through more oxic portions of the aquifer. However, increasing δ⁵³Cr values were observed as dissolved O₂ concentrations decreased, and Cr(VI) was reduced to Cr(III), and subsequently removed from solution. As a result, the highest δ⁵³Cr values were measured in water from deep wells, and wells in discharge areas near dry lakes at the downgradient end of long flow paths through alluvial aquifers. δ⁵³Cr values at an industrial site overlying mafic alluvium having high natural background Cr(VI) concentrations ranged from −0.1 to 3.2‰. Near zero δ⁵³Cr values at the site were the result of anthropogenic Cr. However, mixing with native ground-water and fractionation of Cr within the plume increased δ⁵³Cr values at the site. Although δ⁵³Cr was not necessarily diagnostic of anthropogenic Cr, it was possible to identify the extent of anthropogenic Cr at the site on the basis of the δ⁵³Cr values in conjunction with major-ion data, and the δ¹⁸O and δD composition of water from wells.     

Shearing along faults and stratigraphic joints controlled by land subsidence in the Valley of Queretaro,Mexico

Slip of nearly vertical faults or horizontal stratigraphic joints has provoked the shearing of at least 16 well casings in a period of over 10 years in the Valley of Queretaro aquifer, Mexico. Evidence integrated from field observations, remote surface-deformation monitoring, in-situ monitoring, stratigraphic correlation, and numerical modeling indicate that groundwater depletion and land subsidence induce shearing. Two main factors conditioning the stress distribution and the location of sheared well casings have been identified: (1) slip on fault planes, and (2) slip on stratigraphic joints. Additionally, the distribution of piezometric gradients may be a factor that enhances shearing. Slip on faults can be generated either by the compaction of sedimentary units (passive faulting) or by slip of blocks delimited by pre-existing faults (reactivation). Major piezometric-level declines and the distribution of hydraulic gradients can also be associated with slip at stratigraphic joints. Faults and hydraulic contrasts in the heterogeneous rock sequence, along with groundwater extraction, influence the distribution of the gradients and delimit the compartments of groundwater in the aquifer. Analogue modeling allowed assessment of the distribution of stress–strain and displacements associated with the increase of the vertical stress. Fault-bounded aquifers in grabens are common in the central part of Mexico and the results obtained can be applied to other subsiding, structurally controlled aquifer systems elsewhere.     

Influence of Hydraulic Conductivity and Wellbore Design in the Fate and Transport of Nitrate in Multi-aquifer Systems

Nitrate concentrations in multi-aquifer systems are heavily affected by the presence of wellbores (active or abandoned) that are screened in several aquifers. The spatial variability of hydraulic conductivity in the confining layers has also an important impact on the concentrations. A synthetic three-dimensional flow and transport exercise was carried in a multi-aquifer system consisting of two aquifers separated by an aquitard in which 100 vertical wellbores had been drilled. To model the wellbores and the flow and transport connection between aquifers that they may induce, we assign a high vertical hydraulic conductivity and a low effective porosity to the cell blocks including the wells. With these parameters, a solute will travel quickly from one aquifer to the other without being stored in the well itself. The wellbores will act as preferential pathways, and the solute will move quickly between aquifers according to the hydrodynamic conditions. Not considering these preferential pathways could induce erroneous interpretations of the solute distribution in an aquifer. We also noted that when there are vertical wellbores that connect aquifers in a multi-aquifer system, low conductivity in the aquitard enhances the flow of solute through the wellbores. Time-varying pumping rates induce important fluctuations in nitrate concentrations; therefore, any estimate of the water quality of the aquifer will depend on the moment when the data has been recorded. Consequently, concentration maps obtained by interpolation of point samples are seldom a good indicator of the chemical status of groundwater bodies; alternatively, we recommend complementing the usual interpolated maps with numerical models to gain a true understanding of the spatial distribution of the solute concentration.     

Predictive modelling of dump water impact on the surroundings of the lignite dump site Jänschwalde (Eastern Germany)

Open cast mining of lignite leads to dumps containing highly mineralised pore waters. To predict the impact of the dump waters on the undisturbed aquifers two steps are necessary. (1) The prediction of dump water quality at times when steady state flow conditions will be established. (2) The simulation of the dump ground water migration with a model that is able to handle the complexity of the homogeneous and heterogeneous interactions of the migration process.For the investigated site Jänschwalde, which is still dewatered, a chemical mass balance was performed. The predicted alkalinity potentials exceed acidity potentials for the dump as a whole. The distribution of these parameters show high alkalinity potentials for the northern part.In order to model the migration process the transport code PCGEOFIM^® [Anwenderdokumentaion, IBGW Leipzig, (in German)] was coupled with the geochemical equilibrium code PHREEQC [USGS, Water-Resources Investigations Report]. This was done to simulate redox reactions, mineral dissolution and precipitation, and cation exchange in the ground water zone. The model is verified by a column flow test. The results of the simulations show a small effect of the migrating dump waters on the quartenary aquifer with respect to acidity changes. This results from calcite buffering and cation exchange. The impact on the quartenary aquifer by sulphate is much higher.     

盐度对多孔介质中DNAPL运移和分布的影响

选用四氯乙烯（PCE）作为典型DNAPL污染物,以NaCl作为地下水中溶解盐代表,研究盐度对DNAPL在饱和多孔介质中运移和分布的影响。通过批次实验测定NaCl水溶液/石英砂/PCE三相体系下的接触角和界面张力,结果表明,PCE在石英砂表面的接触角随着水中NaCl浓度的增大而减小,而PCE和NaCl水溶液的界面张力随着NaCl浓度的增大而增大,尤其当氯化钠浓度较高时（>0.1 mol/L）,影响程度更为显著。在此基础上,采用透射光法监测不同介质情景下DNAPL在二维砂箱中的运移和分布,定量测定DNAPL在介质中的饱和度。实验结果表明,地下水盐度的增加将促进DNAPL的垂向入渗,减少被截留在运移路径上的DNAPL量,使得DNAPL运移路径及累积形成的池状DNAPL（pool）向水流方向偏移。在均质多孔介质和含有透镜体的非均质多孔介质中,随着盐度的增加,DNAPL在横向和垂向上的展布均呈现出增加趋势,导致污染源区变大,且介质中以离散状存在的DNAPL量明显增加。     

Installation of a vertical slurry wall around an Italian quarry lake: complications arising and simulation of the effects on groundwater flow

Slurry walls are non-structural barriers that are constructed underground to impede groundwater flow or manage groundwater control problems. The study area is in the Piemonte plain (Italy), close to the River Po. Quarrying works carried out below the piezometric surface created two big quarry lakes. The local groundwater system is characterized by a lower semi-confined aquifer, which is overlain by a semi-permeable bed of clayey peat (aquitard) and an upper unconfined aquifer. Locally, the peat fades away and the granulometry of this horizon becomes silty sandy. A planned enlargement of the quarry will increase the size and depth of the quarry lakes. So the aquitard bed between the two aquifers will be damaged, creating a mixing rate of groundwater. Such a procedure would not be compatible with the presence of two municipal wells upstream from the quarries. Consequently, the installation of a vertical diaphragm (slurry wall) is recommended to separate the aquifers and to act as a filter for the groundwater flowing from the unconfined to the semi-confined aquifer. To predict the consequences caused by the installation of the vertical diaphragm separating the unconfined aquifer and the semi-confined one, a specifically adjusted finite-difference model was used. The model showed a maximum rising of the water table equal to 12 cm, just upstream of the diaphragm and for a distance of about 100 m, and a maximum lowering of 2 cm just downstream of the diaphragm. However, the slurry wall would not cause any change in the piezometric head in the area where there are municipal wells and, hence, will not have any negative effect on the functionality of the municipal wells. Moreover, the migration of water from the unconfined aquifer through the vertical diaphragm will stimulate a series of attenuation and auto-depuration processes of eventual contaminants. These processes are due to the higher crossing time that the groundwater flow takes to go through the vertical barrier (t _a = 96.5 days, whereas for the horizontal semi-permeable layer t _a = 9.6 days). So, the vertical diaphragm can be a resolutive element, representing a mediation and separation factor between the unconfined and the semi-confined aquifers along the border of the quarrying areas, and a protective barrier for the water quality of the quarry lake and the semi-confined aquifer.     

FINITE ELEMENT MODELLING FOR LAND DISPLACEMENTS DUE TO PUMPING

Equations of equilibrium (force balance) and flow in multidimensions were coupled in this paper to describe land displacements due to pressure decline in aquifers. A Galerkin finite element model based on these equations was developed. The saturated/unsaturated behaviour and the isotropic/anisotropic properties of permeability and elasticity were considered when the model was formulated. This model was verified by comparing its simulation results with those of known analytical solutions for simplified cases. The simulation of displacements due to pressure decline in unsaturated media was also performed. Those results demonstrated that the choice of boundary ranges for an aquifer with infinite domain may significantly affect the estimated horizontal and vertical displacements. To obtain a good estimation of land displacements, the boundary ranges should be carefully chosen. The displacements occurring in unconfined aquifers are caused by the drop of the water table and the change in body force in the dewatering zone. Simulation results also indicated that the change in body force should be considered once an unconfined aquifer has been pumped. Otherwise, the horizontal and vertical displacements in unconfined aquifers would be overestimated and underestimated, respectively. The behaviour of land displacements due to pumping was shown to be affected by changes in the total stresses in aquifers.     

Determination of vertical and horizontal pathways of injected fresh wastewater into a deep saline aquifer (Florida, USA) using natural chemical tracers

Two deep-well injection sites in south Florida, USA, inject an average of 430 million liters per day (MLD) of treated domestic fresh wastewater into a deep saline aquifer 900 m below land surface. Elevated levels of NH₃ (highest concentration 939?µmol) in the overlying aquifer above ambient concentrations (concentration less than 30?µmol) were evidence of the upward migration of injected fluids. Three pathways were distinguished based on ammonium, chloride and bromide ratios, and temperature. At the South District Wastewater Treatment Plant, the tracer ratios showed that the injectate remained chemically distinct as it migrated upwards through rapid vertical pathways via density-driven buoyancy. The warmer injectate (mean 28°C) retained the temperature signal as it vertically migrated upwards; however, the temperature signal did not persist as the injectate moved horizontally into the overlying aquifers. Once introduced, the injectate moved slowly horizontally through the aquifer and mixed with ambient water. At the North District Wastewater Treatment Plant, data provide strong evidence of a one-time pulse of injectate into the overlying aquifers due to improper well construction. No evidence of rapid vertical pathways was observed at the North District Wastewater Treatment Plant.     

Numerical analysis of the hydrogeologic controls in a layered coastal aquifer system, Oahu, Hawaii, USA

 The coastal aquifer system of southern Oahu, Hawaii, USA, consists of highly permeable volcanic aquifers overlain by weathered volcanic rocks and interbedded marine and terrestrial sediments of both high and low permeability. The weathered volcanic rocks and sediments are collectively known as caprock, because they impede the free discharge of groundwater from the underlying volcanic aquifers. A cross-sectional groundwater flow and transport model was used to evaluate the hydrogeologic controls on the regional flow system in southwestern Oahu. Controls considered were: (a) overall caprock hydraulic conductivity; and (b) stratigraphic variations of hydraulic conductivity in the caprock. Within the caprock, variations in hydraulic conductivity, caused by stratigraphy or discontinuities of the stratigraphic units, are a major control on the direction of groundwater flow and the distribution of water levels and salinity. Results of cross-sectional modeling confirm the general groundwater flow pattern that would be expected in a layered coastal system. Groundwater flow is: (a) predominantly upward in the low-permeability sedimentary units; and (b) predominantly horizontal in the high-permeability sedimentary units. Received, October 1996 Revised, August 1997 Accepted, September 1997     

低渗透地层水平井渗流规律的模型试验

为研究低渗透地层水平井开采渗流特征,采用自行设计的模型试验装置,通过预埋微型孔压传感器,监测不同含水层厚度和不同抽水泵位置的渗流规律。不同含水层厚度为:60cm、79cm、94cm、113cm、123cm。泵的位置分别为:造斜段、水平段入口、水平段内。试验结果表明:不同含水层厚度的渗流规律为随着含水层厚度的增加,其孔隙水压力增加,单位流量增大,且存在极限值。根据该实验可以得出含水层厚度、地层渗透性与水平井完井结构三者之间存在着约束关系,当含水层的厚度超过207cm时,在相同试验条件下,其单位流量趋于稳定,说明水平井在低渗透、薄层开采中的优势。当抽水泵位于水平井内不同位置时,其抽水过程中含水层内的孔隙水压力分布规律具有相似性。抽水泵位置主要影响降落曲线的影响半径及对应的流量大小,按照造斜段、水平段入口和水平段内其降水影响范围增大,流量增大。因此,在低渗透地层将抽水泵放置于水平段内有利于增加产能。     

Low-head hyperfiltration through Jurassic-Cretaceous metamorphic Darrington Phyllite discs (from the Northwest Cascades of Washington State, USA)

Membrane behavior in naturally occurring and engineering systems refers to the restriction of solute migration through a membrane relative to the migration of the solvent. Hyperfiltration is the net flux that results when two solutions of different concentration are separated by a membrane and an external force is applied in excess of the osmotic pressure. Clay membranes containing layered fabric have higher efficiencies than membranes with random fabrics. Therefore, low-permeability rocks with a foliated fabric might exhibit membrane properties. Four hyperfiltration experiments were conducted on samples of Darrington Phyllite from the Easton Metamorphic Suite of the Northwest Cascades, Washington (USA). Chloride solutions were passed through thin, intact discs at relatively low heads. At the end of the experiments, dissolved chloride concentrations had increased 110–140 % and calculated reflection coefficients ranged from 0.87 to 0.88; this was attributed to partial solute rejection by the phyllite. Natural scenarios in which phyllite might exhibit membrane properties include (1) shallow perched aquifers bounded by phyllite, (2) overpressured aquifers bounded by phyllite, (3) phyllite-bounded aquifers with significant vertical groundwater flows, and (4) ultrafiltration during metamorphic devolatilization at depth. Membrane processes exhibited by phyllite may also contribute to the formation of some low-temperature ore bodies.     

Steady critical discharge rates from vertical and horizontal wells in fresh–saline aquifers with sharp interfaces

In this study, the critical (or maximum) discharge rates before saline water enters a well were determined for vertical and horizontal wells in a freshwater aquifer which is separated from a static saline aquifer by a sharp interface. Flow around the well was solved by integration of a point sink solution along the well axis, and both the critical discharge rate and critical interface rise were determined through a comparison of the heads and vertical gradients at the saline–fresh water interface. The rates were determined for vertical and horizontal wells with various lengths and depths for different aquifer salinities. Results were generalized by drawing dimensionless type curves. The results showed that the dimensionless total critical discharge rates are higher for the longer horizontal wells and longer vertical wells with a certain bottom depth, and they almost linearly decrease with well depth at rates of 0.7–0.9. For the dimensionless well length of 0.2, the dimensionless total discharge rate of a horizontal well is about 0.1 more than that of a vertical well with the same length and well-top depth. Also, the critical discharge rates per unit length of well are inversely proportional to well length and remarkably higher for shallower wells. Additionally, the critical pumping rate is proportional to the salinity difference of the aquifers. These results were confirmed by comparison to existing solutions for vertical wells with dimensionless lengths of 0.2, 0.5 and 0.6, and for critical interface rises in the range of 0.75–0.9.