Monitoring of drawdown pattern during pumping in an unconfined physical aquifer model

In this study, we attempted to analyse a drawdown pattern around a pumping well in an unconfined sandy gravelly aquifer constructed in a laboratory tank by means of both experimental and numerical modelling of groundwater flow. The physical model consisted of recharge, aquifer and discharge zones. Permeability and specific yield of the aquifer material were determined by Dupuit approximation under steady‐state flow and stepwise gravitational drainage of groundwater, respectively. The drawdown of water table in pumping and neighbouring observation wells was monitored to investigate the effect of no‐flow boundary on the drawdown pattern during pumping for three different boundary conditions: (i) no recharge and no discharge with four no‐flow boundaries (Case 1); (ii) no recharge and reservoir with three no‐flow boundaries (Case 2); (iii) recharge and discharge with two no‐flow boundaries (Case 3). Based on the aquifer parameters, numerical modelling was also performed to compare the simulated drawdown with that observed. Results showed that a large difference existed between the simulated drawdown and that observed in wells for all cases. The reason for the difference could be explained by the formation of a curvilinear type water table between wells rather than a linear one due to a delayed response of water table in the capillary fringe. This phenomenon was also investigated from a mass balance study on the pumping volume. The curvilinear type of water table was further evidenced by measurement of water contents at several positions in the aquifer between wells using time domain reflectometry (TDR). This indicates that the existing groundwater flow model applicable to an unconfined aquifer lacks the capacity to describe a slow response of water table in the aquifer and care should be taken in the interpretation of water table formation in the aquifer during pumping. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Boundary depletion rate and drawdown in leaky wedge‐shaped aquifers

This study presents analytical solutions of the three‐dimensional groundwater flow to a well in leaky confined and leaky water table wedge‐shaped aquifers. Leaky wedge‐shaped aquifers with and without storage in the aquitard are considered, and both transient and steady‐state drawdown solutions are derived. Unlike the previous solutions of the wedge‐shaped aquifers, the leakages from aquitard are considered in these solutions and unlike similar previous work for leaky aquifers, leakage from aquitards and from the water table are treated as the lower and upper boundary conditions. A special form of finite Fourier transforms is used to transform the z‐coordinate in deriving the solutions. The leakage induced by a partially penetrating pumping well in a wedge‐shaped aquifer depends on aquitard hydraulic parameters, the wedge‐shaped aquifer parameters, as well as the pumping well parameters. We calculate lateral boundary dimensionless flux at a representative line and investigate its sensitivity to the aquitard hydraulic parameters. We also investigate the effects of wedge angle, partial penetration, screen location and piezometer location on the steady‐state dimensionless drawdown for different leakage parameters. Results of our study are presented in the form of dimensionless flux‐dimensionless time and dimensionless drawdown‐leakage parameter type curves. The results are useful for evaluating the relative role of lateral wedge boundaries and leakage source on flow in wedge‐shaped aquifers. This is very useful for water management problems and for assessing groundwater pollution. The presented analytical solutions can also be used in parameter identification and in calculating stream depletion rate and volume. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Effect of Modeled Recharge Distribution on Simulated Groundwater Availability and Capture

Simulating groundwater flow in basin‐fill aquifers of the semiarid southwestern United States commonly requires decisions about how to distribute aquifer recharge. Precipitation can recharge basin‐fill aquifers by direct infiltration and transport through faults and fractures in the high‐elevation areas, by flowing overland through high‐elevation areas to infiltrate at basin‐fill margins along mountain fronts, by flowing overland to infiltrate along ephemeral channels that often traverse basins in the area, or by some combination of these processes. The importance of accurately simulating recharge distributions is a current topic of discussion among hydrologists and water managers in the region, but no comparative study has been performed to analyze the effects of different recharge distributions on groundwater simulations. This study investigates the importance of the distribution of aquifer recharge in simulating regional groundwater flow in basin‐fill aquifers by calibrating a groundwater‐flow model to four different recharge distributions, all with the same total amount of recharge. Similarities are seen in results from steady‐state models for optimized hydraulic conductivity values, fit of simulated to observed hydraulic heads, and composite scaled sensitivities of conductivity parameter zones. Transient simulations with hypothetical storage properties and pumping rates produce similar capture rates and storage change results, but differences are noted in the rate of drawdown at some well locations owing to the differences in optimized hydraulic conductivity. Depending on whether the purpose of the groundwater model is to simulate changes in groundwater levels or changes in storage and capture, the distribution of aquifer recharge may or may not be of primary importance.     

The impact of well drawdowns on the mixing process of river water and groundwater and water quality in a riverside well field,Northeast China

Riverbank filtration (RBF) has been widely used throughout the world as an effective means to regulate surface water and groundwater resources and pretreat raw water for municipal water supply. The quality of the water from a riverside well field and the mixing ratios of surface water and groundwater is primarily impacted by the hydrodynamic processes in the RBF system. The RBF system is largely controlled by the water exploiting system in addition to the natural hydrologic condition of the river–aquifer system. As one of the most important design parameters of the riverside well field, the drawdown of groundwater level greatly determines the water head differences between the river water and groundwater as well as the field flow net, which subsequently impacts the mixing of river water and groundwater and water quality significantly. This study aimed to improve the understanding of the mixing process between the surface water and groundwater and estimate the impact of the RBF on the mixing ratio of surface water–groundwater and water quality quantitatively. A set of field pumping tests with various groundwater level drawdowns were carried out independently and successively at a riverside field with a single pumping well near the Songhua River in Northeast China in August 2017. During these tests, the water levels and hydrochemical parameters of the Songhua River, the adjacent aquifer, and the pumping well were monitored. The dynamic mixing process of the river water and groundwater and water quality under various drawdown conditions were analysed systematically using analytical methods. The results obtained from Dupuit method and the Mirror Image method in conjunction with the Hydrochemical Tracing method showed that the pumping water directly from the river water reached 60% ± 10% after a steady flow net was established. The larger the proportion of the pumping water captured from the river, the better quality of the pumping water was, because the quality of the river water (only limited to some water quality parameters monitored which were minority) was better than that of the groundwater. The results also showed that total Fe, TDS, total hardness, COD_Mn, and K⁺ were relatively sensitive to the changes of groundwater drawdown, and their concentrations decreased with an increase in the groundwater drawdown. It can be concluded that both the mixing ratio of the surface water and the groundwater and the water quality of the riverside well field can be regulated through adjusting the designed drawdown of the groundwater level, which is helpful for the design and the optimization of the riverside well water intake engineering.     

Geologic heterogeneity and a comparison of two geostatistical models: Sequential Gaussian and transition probability-based geostatistical simulation

A covariance-based model-fitting approach is often considered valid to represent field spatial variability of hydraulic properties. This study examines the representation of geologic heterogeneity in two types of geostatistical models under the same mean and spatial covariance structure, and subsequently its effect on the hydraulic response to a pumping test based on 3D high-resolution numerical simulation and field data. Two geostatistical simulation methods, sequential Gaussian simulation (SGS) and transition probability indicator simulation (TPROGS) were applied to create conditional realizations of alluvial fan aquifer systems in the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) area. The simulated K fields were then used in a numerical groundwater flow model to simulate a pumping test performed at the LLNL site. Spatial connectivity measures of high-K materials (channel facies) captured connectivity characteristics of each geostatistical model and revealed that the TPROGS model created an aquifer (channel) network having greater lateral connectivity. SGS realizations neglected important geologic structures associated with channel and overbank (levee) facies, even though the covariance model used to create these realizations provided excellent fits to sample covariances computed from exhaustive samplings of TPROGS realizations. Observed drawdown response in monitoring wells during a pumping test and its numerical simulation shows that in an aquifer system with strongly connected network of high-K materials, the Gaussian approach could not reproduce a similar behavior in simulated drawdown response found in TPROGS case. Overall, the simulated drawdown responses demonstrate significant disagreement between TPROGS and SGS realizations. This study showed that important geologic characteristics may not be captured by a spatial covariance model, even if that model is exhaustively determined and closely fits the exponential function.     

The Effect of Undetected Barriers on Groundwater Drawdown and Recovery

In large-scale pumping projects, such as mine dewatering, predictions are often made about the rate of groundwater level recovery after pumping has ceased. However, these predictions may be impacted by geological uncertainty—including the presence of undetected impermeable barriers. During pumping, an impermeable barrier may be undetected if it is located beyond the maximum extent of the cone of depression; yet it may still control drawdown during the recovery phase. This has implications for regional-scale modeling and monitoring of groundwater level recovery. In this article, non-dimensional solutions are developed to show the conditions under which a barrier may be undetected during pumping but still significantly impact groundwater level recovery. The magnitude of the impact from an undetected barrier will increase as the ratio of pumping rate to aquifer transmissivity increases. The results are exemplified for a hypothetical aquifer with an unknown barrier 3 km from a pumping well. The difference in drawdown between a model with and without a barrier may be <1 m in the 10 years while pumping is occurring, but up to 50 m after pumping has ceased.     

Joint Estimation of Hydraulic and Poroelastic Parameters from a Pumping Test

The coupling of hydraulic and poroelastic processes is critical in predicting processes involving the deformation of the geologic medium in response to fluid extraction or injection. Numerical models that consider the coupling of hydraulic and poroelastic processes require the knowledge of relevant parameters for both aquifer and aquitard units. In this study, we jointly estimated hydraulic and poroelastic parameters from pumping test data exhibiting “reverse water level fluctuations,” known as the Noordbergum effect, in aquitards adjacent to a pumped aquifer. The joint estimation was performed by coupling BIOT2, a finite element, two‐dimensional, axisymmetric, groundwater model that considers poroelastic effects with the parameter estimation code PEST. We first tested our approach using a synthetic data set with known parameters. Results of the synthetic case showed that for a simple layered system, it was possible to reproduce accurately both the hydraulic and poroelastic properties for each layer. We next applied the approach to pumping test data collected at the North Campus Research Site (NCRS) on the University of Waterloo (UW) campus. Based on the detailed knowledge of stratigraphy, a five‐layer system was modeled. Parameter estimation was performed by: (1) matching drawdown data individually from each observation port and (2) matching drawdown data from all ports at a single well simultaneously. The estimated hydraulic parameters were compared to those obtained by other means at the site yielding good agreement. However, the estimated shear modulus was higher than the static shear modulus, but was within the range of dynamic shear modulus reported in the literature, potentially suggesting a loading rate effect.     

Generalized Radial Flow in Synthetic Flow Systems

Traditional analysis methods used to determine hydraulic properties from pumping tests work well in many porous media aquifers, but they often do not work in heterogeneous and fractured‐rock aquifers, producing non‐plausible and erroneous results. The generalized radial flow model developed by Barker (1988) can reveal information about heterogeneity characteristics and aquifer geometry from pumping test data by way of a flow dimension parameter. The physical meaning of non‐integer flow dimensions has long been a subject of debate and research. We focus on understanding and interpreting non‐radial flow through high permeability conduits within fractured aquifers. We develop and simulate flow within idealized non‐radial flow conduits and expand on this concept by simulating pumping in non‐fractal random fields with specific properties that mimic persistent sub‐radial flow responses. Our results demonstrate that non‐integer flow dimensions can arise from non‐fractal geometries within aquifers. We expand on these geometric concepts and successfully simulate pumping in random fields that mimic well‐test responses seen in the Culebra Dolomite above the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.     

Solutions for Non‐Darcian Flow to an Extended Well in Fractured Rock

We have investigated non‐Darcian flow to a vertical fracture represented as an extended well using a linearization procedure and a finite difference method in this study. Approximate analytical solutions have been obtained with and without the consideration of fracture storage based on the linearization procedure. A numerical solution for such a non‐Darcian flow case has also been obtained with a finite difference method. We have compared the numerical solution with the approximate analytical solutions obtained by the linearization method and the Boltzmann transform. The results indicate that the linearized solution agrees generally well with the numerical solution at late times, and underestimates the dimensionless drawdown at early times, no matter if the fracture storage is considered or not. When the fracture storage is excluded, the Boltzmann transform solution overestimates the dimensionless drawdown during the entire pumping period. The dimensionless drawdowns in the fracture with fracture storage for different values of dimensionless non‐Darcian hydraulic conductivity β approach the same asymptotic value at early times. A larger β value results in a smaller dimensionless drawdown in both the fracture and the aquifer when the fracture storage is included. The dimensionless drawdown is approximately proportional to the square root of the dimensionless time at late times.     

Improving Groundwater Model Calibration with Repeat Microgravity Measurements

Groundwater-flow models depend on hydraulic head and flux observations for evaluation and calibration. A different type of observation—change in storage measured using repeat microgravity—can also be used for parameter estimation by simulating the expected change in gravity from a groundwater model and including the observation misfit in the objective function. The method is demonstrated using new software linked to MODFLOW input and output files and field data from the vicinity of the All American Canal in southeast California, USA. Over a 10-year period following lining of the previously highly permeable canal with concrete, gravity decreased by over 100 μGal (equivalent to about 2.5 m of free-standing water) at some locations as seepage decreased and the remnant groundwater mound dissipated into the aquifer or was removed by groundwater pumping. Simulated gravity from a MODFLOW model closely matched observations, and repeat microgravity data proved useful for constraining both hydraulic conductivity and specific yield estimates. Specific yield estimated using the infinite-horizontal slab approximation agreed well with model-derived values, and the departure from the linear, flat-water-table approximation was small, less than 2%, despite relatively large and dynamic water-table slope. First-order second-moment parameter uncertainty analysis shows reduction in uncertainty for all hydraulic conductivity and specific yield parameter estimates with the addition of repeat microgravity data, as compared to drawdown data alone.     

Integrated water resource management in a major canal command in eastern India

The present rice‐dominated cropping system in the Hirakud canal command (eastern India) is under severe threat due to imbalance between irrigation water supply and demand. The canal water supply, which is the only source of irrigation, only meets 54% of the demand at 90% probability of exceedance (PE). In order to mitigate the irrigation water deficit from canal water, groundwater is considered as a supplemental source. Quasi‐three‐dimensional groundwater flow simulation modelling was, therefore, carried out by using Visual MODFLOW to detect the change in hydraulic head due to transient pumping stresses. The simulation model was calibrated and validated satisfactorily. Sensitivity analysis of the model parameters shows that groundwater recharge is most sensitive followed by aquifer hydraulic conductivity at almost all the sites of the command area, whereas the model is comparatively less sensitive to specific storage and specific yield. Enhanced pumping scenarios showed that groundwater extraction can be increased up to 50 times of the existing pumping without causing any adverse effect to the aquifer but the aquifer does not permit to exploit water in order to fulfill the irrigation water demand even at 10% PE. Hence, it is imperative to develop an optimal land and water resources management plan of the command area. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Assessing radial transmissivity variation in heterogeneous aquifers using analytical techniques

Pumping tests are one of the most commonly used in situ testing techniques for assessing aquifer hydraulic properties. Numerous researches have been conducted to predict the effects of aquifer heterogeneity on the groundwater levels during pumping tests. The objectives of the present work were as follows: (1) to predict drawdown conditions and to estimate aquifer properties during pumping tests undertaken in radially symmetric heterogeneous aquifers, and (2) to identify a method for assessing the transmissivity field along the radial coordinate in radially symmetric and fully heterogeneous transmissivity fields. The first objective was achieved by expanding an existing analytical drawdown formulation that was valid for a radially symmetric confined aquifer with two concentric zones around the pumping well to an N concentric zone confined aquifer having a constant transmissivity value within each zone. The formulation was evaluated for aquifers with three and four concentric zones to assess the effects of the transmissivity field on the drawdown conditions. The specific conditions under which aquifer properties could be identified using traditional methods of analysis were also evaluated. The second objective was achieved by implementing the inverse solution algorithm (ISA), which was developed for petroleum reservoirs to groundwater aquifer settings. The results showed that the drawdown values are influenced by a volumetric integral of a weighting function and the transmissivity field within the cone of depression. The weighting function migrates in tandem with the expanding cone of depression. The ability of the ISA to predict radially symmetric and log‐normally distributed transmissivity fields was assessed against analytical and numerical benchmarks. The results of this investigation indicated that the ISA method is a viable technique for evaluating the radial transmissivity variations of heterogeneous aquifer settings. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Multivariate approaches optimize locations of groundwater pumping facilities for different hydrogeological scales

A number of optimization approaches regarding the design location of groundwater pumping facilities in heterogeneous porous media have elicited little discussion. However, the location of groundwater pumping facilities is an important factor because it affects water resource usage. This study applies two optimization approaches to estimate the best recharge zone and suitable locations of the pumping facilities in southwestern Taiwan for different hydrogeological scales. First, for the regional scale, this study employs numerical modelling, MODFLOW‐96, to simulate groundwater direction and the optimal recharge zone in the study area. Based on the model's calibration and verification results, this study preliminarily utilizes the simulated spatial direction of groundwater and compares the safe yield for each well group in order to determine the best recharge zone. Additionally, for the local scale, the micro‐hydrogeological characteristics are considered before determining the design locations of the pumping facilities. According to drawdown record data from six observation wells derived from pumping tests at the best recharge area, this study further utilizes the modified artificial neural network approach to improve the accuracy of the estimation parameters as well as to analyse the direction and anisotropy of the hydraulic conductivities of an equivalent homogeneous aquifer. The results suggested that the best locations for the pumping facilities are along the more permeable major direction. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Meltwater discharge through the subglacial bed and its land‐forming consequences from numerical experiments in the Polish lowland during the last glaciation

Numerical experiments suggest that the last glaciation severely affected the upper lithosphere groundwater system in NW Poland: primarily its flow pattern, velocities and fluxes. We have simulated subglacial groundwater flow in two and three spatial dimensions using finite difference codes for steady‐state and transient conditions. The results show how profoundly the ice sheet modifies groundwater pressure heads beneath and some distance beyond the ice margin. All model runs show water discharge at the ice forefield driven by ice‐sheet‐thickness‐modulated, down‐ice‐decreasing hydraulic heads. In relation to non‐glacial times, the transient 3D model shows significant changes in the groundwater flow directions in a regionally extensive aquifer ca. 90 m below the ice–bed interface and up to 40 km in front of the glacier. Comparison with empirical data suggests that, depending on the model run, only between 5 and 24% of the meltwater formed at the ice sole drained through the bed as groundwater. This is consistent with field observations documenting abundant occurrence of tunnel valleys, indicating that the remaining portion of basal meltwater was evacuated through a channelized subglacial drainage system. Groundwater flow simulation suggests that in areas of very low hydraulic conductivity and adverse subglacial slopes water ponding at the ice sole was likely. In these areas the relief shows distinct palaeo‐ice lobes, indicating fast ice flow, possibly triggered by the undrained water at the ice–bed interface. Owing to the abundance of low‐permeability strata in the bed, the simulated groundwater flow depth is less than ca. 200 m. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Assimilation of historical head data to estimate spatial distributions of stream bed and aquifer hydraulic conductivity fields

Management of water resources in alluvial aquifers relies mainly on understanding interactions between hydraulically connected streams and aquifers. Numerical models that simulate this interaction often are used as decision support tools for water resource management. However, the accuracy of numerical predictions relies heavily on unknown system parameters (e.g., streambed conductivity and aquifer hydraulic conductivity), which are spatially heterogeneous and difficult to measure directly. This paper employs an ensemble smoother to invert groundwater level measurements to jointly estimate spatially varying streambed and alluvial aquifer hydraulic conductivity along a 35.6‐km segment of the South Platte River in Northeastern Colorado. The accuracy of the inversion procedure is evaluated using a synthetic experiment and historical groundwater level measurements, with the latter constituting the novelty of this study in the inversion and validation of high‐resolution fields of streambed and aquifer conductivities. Results show that the estimated streambed conductivity field and aquifer conductivity field produce an acceptable agreement between observed and simulated groundwater levels and stream flow rates. The estimated parameter fields are also used to simulate the spatially varying flow exchange between the alluvial aquifer and the stream, which exhibits high spatial variability along the river reach with a maximum average monthly aquifer gain of about 2.3 m³/day and a maximum average monthly aquifer loss of 2.8 m³/day, per unit area of streambed (m²). These results demonstrate that data assimilation inversion provides a reliable and computationally affordable tool to estimate the spatial variability of streambed and aquifer conductivities at high resolution in real‐world systems.     

The unusual and large drawdown response of buried-valley aquifers to pumping

The buried-valley aquifers that are common in the glacial deposits of the northern hemisphere are a typical case of the strip aquifers that occur in many parts of the world. Pumping from a narrow strip aquifer leads to much greater drawdown and much more distant drawdown effects then would occur in a sheet aquifer with a similar transmissivity and storage coefficient. Widely used theories for radial flow to wells, such as the Theis equation, are not appropriate for narrow strip aquifers. Previously published theory for flow to wells in semiconfined strip aquifers is reviewed and a practical format of the type curves for pumping-test analysis is described. The drawdown response of strip aquifers to pumping tests is distinctive, especially for observation wells near the pumped well. A case study is presented, based on extensive pumping test experience for the Estevan Valley Aquifer in southern Saskatchewan, Canada. Evaluation of groundwater resources in such buried-valley aquifers needs to take into account the unusually large drawdowns in response to pumping.     

Air and water flows induced by pumping tests in unconfined aquifers with low‐permeability zones

Air flows from the atmosphere into an unconfined aquifer when the water table falls during pumping tests. Pumping test results in unconfined aquifers may be significantly affected by low‐permeability zones (LPZs) near the initial water table position, because they restrict the downward movement of air. A transient, three‐dimensional air–water two‐phase flow model is employed to investigate numerically the effects of local heterogeneity on pumping test results in unconfined aquifers. Two cases of local heterogeneities are considered herein: a LPZ around the pumping well and on one side of the pumping well. Results show that the drawdown with the LPZ is significantly greater than that of the homogeneous aquifer. The differences in drawdown are the most significant at intermediate times and gradually diminish at later times. The LPZ significantly reduces air flow from the atmosphere to the aquifer. The pore air velocity in the LPZ is very low. The air pressure at the observation point under the LPZ when air begins to enter is significantly lower than the air pressure of the homogeneous aquifer at the same point. After that, the air pressure increases quickly and then increases slowly. The time for the air pressure to reach the atmospheric pressure is significantly longer. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Induced Temperature Gradients to Examine Groundwater Flowpaths in Open Boreholes

Techniques for characterizing the hydraulic properties and groundwater flow processes of aquifers are essential to design hydrogeologic conceptual models. In this study, rapid time series temperature profiles within open‐groundwater wells in fractured rock were measured using fiber optic distributed temperature sensing (FO‐DTS). To identify zones of active groundwater flow, two continuous electrical heating cables were installed alongside a FO‐DTS cable to heat the column of water within the well and to create a temperature difference between the ambient temperature of the groundwater in the aquifer and that within the well. Additional tests were performed to examine the effects of pumping on hydraulic fracture interconnectivity around the well and to identify zones of increased groundwater flow. High‐ and low‐resolution FO‐DTS cable configurations were examined to test the sensitivities of the technique and compared with downhole video footage and geophysical logging to confirm the zones of active groundwater flow. Two examples are presented to demonstrate the usefulness of this new technique for rapid characterization of fracture zones in open boreholes. The combination of the FO‐DTS and heating cable has excellent scope as a rapid appraisal tool for borehole construction design and improving hydrogeologic conceptual models.     

Groundwater modelling and marine intrusion in the semi‐arid systems (Cap‐Bon,Tunisia)

This article studies the effect of drought and pumping discharge on groundwater supplies and marine intrusion in the Korba aquifer (Cap‐Bon peninsula, Tunisia). The Groundwater Modelling System has been used to model the groundwater flow and to simulate the seawater intrusion. The calibration is based on the groundwater levels in the steady state from 1963, and in the transient state from the groundwater levels from 1963 to 2005. The main objective is to quantify the components of the groundwater mass balance and to estimate the hydraulic conductivity distribution. The impact of pumping discharge on the groundwater level evolution has been examined by two pumping scenarios P1 (no. 8420) and P2 (no. 8862) wells. The hydrodynamic modelling shows the increasing drawdowns after 14 years of pumping: 4 m in P1 well and about 5 m in P2 well below sea level. The drawdowns are accompanied by the inverse hydraulic gradient. The numerical model was used to discuss the management of the groundwater resources of Cap‐Bon. As the population continues to grow and the demand for groundwater pumping intensifies beyond the 1963 level, it can be expected that the actual extent of seawater intrusion in the future would be more severe than the model prediction. Better strategies for groundwater development and management will be necessary to protect the freshwater aquifers to the marine intrusion. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Bioremediation in Fractured Rock: 1. Modeling to Inform Design,Monitoring, and Expectations

Field characterization of a trichloroethene (TCE) source area in fractured mudstones produced a detailed understanding of the geology, contaminant distribution in fractures and the rock matrix, and hydraulic and transport properties. Groundwater flow and chemical transport modeling that synthesized the field characterization information proved critical for designing bioremediation of the source area. The planned bioremediation involved injecting emulsified vegetable oil and bacteria to enhance the naturally occurring biodegradation of TCE. The flow and transport modeling showed that injection will spread amendments widely over a zone of lower‐permeability fractures, with long residence times expected because of small velocities after injection and sorption of emulsified vegetable oil onto solids. Amendments transported out of this zone will be diluted by groundwater flux from other areas, limiting bioremediation effectiveness downgradient. At nearby pumping wells, further dilution is expected to make bioremediation effects undetectable in the pumped water. The results emphasize that in fracture‐dominated flow regimes, the extent of injected amendments cannot be conceptualized using simple homogeneous models of groundwater flow commonly adopted to design injections in unconsolidated porous media (e.g., radial diverging or dipole flow regimes). Instead, it is important to synthesize site characterization information using a groundwater flow model that includes discrete features representing high‐ and low‐permeability fractures. This type of model accounts for the highly heterogeneous hydraulic conductivity and groundwater fluxes in fractured‐rock aquifers, and facilitates designing injection strategies that target specific volumes of the aquifer and maximize the distribution of amendments over these volumes.