The gravity method in groundwater exploration in crystalline rocks: a study in the peninsular granitic region of Hyderabad, India

The application of variations in the earth's gravity in groundwater exploration on a regional scale, especially in sedimentary basins, metamorphic terrains, valley fills, and for buried alluvial channels, is well established. However, its use in hard crystalline rocks is little known. In granite, for example, the upper weathered layer is a potential primary aquifer, and the underlying fractured rock can form a secondary aquifer. Fracturing and weathering increases the porosity of a rock, thereby reducing the bulk density. Changes in gravity anomalies of 0.1–0.7 mGal for granites, due to weathering or variations in lithology, can be detected. To test the use of gravity as a groundwater exploration tool for crystalline rocks, a gravity survey of the peninsular shield granites underlying Osmania University Campus, Hyderabad, India, was undertaken. At the site, gravity anomalies reflect variations in the lithology and in the thickness of weathered zones. These anomalies also define the position of intrusives and lineaments. Areas of more deeply weathered granite that contain wells of higher groundwater yield are represented by negative gravity values. In the weathered zone, well yield has an inverse relation to the magnitudes of residual gravity. The study confirms the feasibility of gravity as a tool for groundwater exploration in crystalline rocks. Electronic Publication     

Development of groundwater modeling for the Azraq Basin, Jordan

 The three-dimensional groundwater flow model MODFLOW was applied to simulate water level change in the complex multi-aquifer systems (the Upper and Middle Aquifers) of the Azraq basin. The model was calibrated by matching observed and simulated drawdown for steady and transient states over the period 1970–1992. Drawdown data for the period 1993–1997 were used to test the model's ability to predict the response of the aquifers. The model performed well in representing the water level contours of the Upper and Middle Aquifers for steady state calibration. Agreement between the observed and simulated drawdowns was obtained for transient state calibration. To predict the aquifer system responses for the period of 1997–2025, four different pumping schemes (scenarios) have been investigated. The first scenario (present pumping rate) reveals that there will be approximately a 25 m drop in the water level at the well-field area in 2025. However, the worst scenario (pumping rate at 1.5 times the present rate) reveals an approximate 39 m drop in the water level at the well-field area in 2025. The safe yield for the Upper Aquifer System was found to be about 25 million cubic meters (MCM) yearly. Received: 24 June 1999 · Accepted: 30 November 1999     

长春市深部地下水赋存规律之我见

长春市北西或北北西向扭性断裂或断裂带是客观存在，它对长春市深部地下水循环与循存起控制作用，是深部基岩裂隙水的主要导水通道，且大都为富水带。原北东向压扭性断裂或断裂带起阻水作用，二者相得益彰。笔者于长春北郊贫水区，利用这一新理论，在水文地质调查基础上，结合多种水文物探手段布孔凿井，打出一口水量丰富的优质矿泉水井，进而验证了北西向富水说，了箕市深部地下水赋存规律的新认识，此说不但对长春市供水有实际意义     

Hydrochemistry and isotope geochemistry as tools for groundwater hydrodynamic investigation in multilayer aquifers: a case study from Lomellina, Po plain, South-Western Lombardy, Italy

A multicriteria approach in studying hydrodynamics of a multilayer aquifer system has been used in the Lomellina region (Northern Italy). It involves the reconstruction of the hydrogeological framework coupled to the definition of the hydrochemical and isotopic features of the aquifers. A shallow phreatic aquifer, reaching depths of about 60–80 m from the surface, and deeper aquifers containing confined groundwater, were distinguished. Groundwater generally shows mineralisation decreasing with depth; dissolved ions depict calcium-bicarbonate hydrochemical facies and stable isotopes define the recharge mechanisms, the origin of groundwater, and the hydraulic confinement of deep aquifers. The phreatic aquifer is fed by local infiltration and by streams and irrigation channels. Tritium and Carbon-14 groundwater dating indicate long residence times (on the order of thousands of years) for confined aquifers. The confined aquifers show essentially passive hydrodynamic conditions and maintain a higher piezometric level than the phreatic aquifer. This inhibits the possibility of recent water penetrating far below the surface. The hydrogeological setting of the Lomellina region displays features which are common to other sectors of the Po plain. As a consequence, the results of this study, although conducted on a restricted area, are highly illustrative of groundwater hydrodynamics in large sedimentary aquifers.     

An extension to the DRASTIC model to assess groundwater vulnerability to pollution: application to the Haouz aquifer of Marrakech (Morocco)

An extension to the DRASTIC model is proposed in order to assess aquifer vulnerability to pollution. In contrast to the DRASTIC model, which considers the unsaturated and saturated zones together and computes a global intrinsic vulnerability index, the suggested approach discriminates between the aquifer vertical vulnerability (a concept related to the pollutant percolation) and the groundwater susceptibility (a concept that depends on the behaviour and uses of the groundwater). This approach is applied to the Haouz aquifer (Morocco) that supplies water to the Marrakech area. This aquifer is widely overexploited and there is evidence that the groundwater quality is threatened by various sources of pollution. Evaluation of the vertical vulnerability indicates that the aquifer mainly presents a moderate-to-weak vertical vulnerability. The zones potentially most favourable to pollutant percolation are mainly located in Central Haouz, along or near the surface wadis. The aquifer susceptibility is high in places located near the N’Fis, Baaja and Issil wadis. Everywhere else, low-to-moderate susceptibility is observed. This new approach therefore enables areas of vertical vulnerability and areas of susceptibility to be delineated separately. As a result, it constitutes a valuable decision-making tool for optimising the management of aquifer water resources and land-use planning.     

修正的内梅罗指数法及其在城市地下饮用水源地水质评价中的应用

为了克服内梅罗指数法和平均指数法存在的不足,对内梅罗指数法进行了修正。将公式中的算术平均修改为加权平均,各评价指标的权重是根据污染因子的危害性与该污染因子的排放标准呈反比例关系来确定的。并将修正后的公式用于西安市地下饮用水源地的水质评价中。结果表明,改进后的方法更能客观地评价水质状况,既突出了最大污染因子,又增强了危害性较强因子的作用,是合理的。     

地下水节水自律机制研究

本研究课题为水利部开展的节水型社会建设重大研究课题之一,以水权管理为基础,以提高水资源利用效率和效益为核心,坚持制度激励与工程建设相结合、市场机制与行政管理相结合,深入研究影响地下水类型区自律节水的关键因素,提出实现自律节水的有效方法,最终建立一套完整的适应市场经济特点的地下水节水自律运行模式。     

Possible impact of shallow interfluve traps on groundwater remediation

Shallow stratigraphic traps exist in certain geologic environments, which might complicate groundwater remediation efforts. Too often, pump-and-treat remediation wells are installed in geometric patterns designed to maximize cleanup operations. If, however, shallow stratigraphic traps are present, certain contaminants may be locally trapped and thus missed during cleanup operations. Alternatively, if shallow stratigraphic traps are delineated prior to location of cleanup wells, fewer wells may be needed for remediation. For example, a single well located at the trap apex, coupled with a single injection well, might be sufficient if: (1) all contaminants were contained in the trap, and (2) the trap was not laterally extensive. Interfluve stratigraphic traps are formed when braided outwash sands are subsequently covered by backswamp or lacustrine clay deposits. Such traps are common near-surface features of the valley train deposits of the Lower Mississippi River Valley and have relief of a few tens of centimeters to perhaps in excess of 10 m. Interfluve traps are also expected to commonly occur in many glaciated regions. Due to channel migration during backswamp clay deposition, and differing thicknesses of clay cover, it is unlikely that all interfluve traps can be delineated by a single method. Therefore, several geological techniques that might be useful in delineating shallow interfluve traps are briefly discussed here, as well as potential complications in using the described methods.     

Evidence for deep groundwater flow and convective heat transport in mountainous terrain, Delta County, Colorado, USA

The Tongue Creek watershed lies on the south flank of Grand Mesa in western Colorado, USA and is a site with 1.5 km of topographic relief, heat flow of 100 mW/m², thermal conductivity of 3.3 W m^–1 °C^–1, hydraulic conductivity of 10^-8 m/s, a water table that closely follows surface topography, and groundwater temperatures 3–15°C above mean surface temperatures. These data suggest that convective heat transport by groundwater flow has modified the thermal regime of the site. Steady state three-dimensional numerical simulations of heat flow, groundwater flow, and convective transport were used to model these thermal and hydrological data. The simulations provided estimates for the scale of hydraulic conductivity and bedrock base flow discharge within the watershed. The numerical models show that (1) complex three-dimensional flow systems develop with a range of scales from tens of meters to tens of kilometers; (2) mapped springs are frequently found at locations where contours of hydraulic head indicate strong vertical flow at the water table, and; (3) the distribution of groundwater temperatures in water wells as a function of surface elevation is predicted by the model.