CENTRAL COLLEGES OF THE PHILIPPINES

CE 593: WATER ENGINEERING

Aquifer and Aquiclude

Aquifer

An aquifer, also known as water-bearing stratum; water-bearing lens; water-bearing zone,

is an underground layer of rock that holds groundwater – is rain or melted snow that has seeped
into the ground, and is held there; its rocks have different porous and permeable characteristics
which means that water is stationary in all rocks below ground; it is one of the most important
sources of water on Earth for about 30% of our liquid freshwater is groundwater; it can be found
in a range of different types of rock, but the most productive aquifers are found in sandstones,
open cavities and caves of limestone aquifers. Aquifers are filled slowly; it can dry up when
people drain it faster than it can be refilled – a process called aquifer depletion; it can be drained
by man-made wells, or they can flow out naturally in springs.

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Types of Aquifer:

Confined Aquifer

A confined aquifer is an aquifer below the land surface that is saturated with water. Layers
of impermeable material are both above and below the aquifer, causing it to be under pressure so
that when the aquifer is penetrated by a well, the water will rise above the top of the aquifer; it
may be replenished, or recharged by rain or streamwater infiltrating the rock at some
considerable distance away from the confined aquifer. Groundwater in a confined aquifer is
under pressure and will rise up inside a borehole drilled into the aquifer; the level to which the
water rises is called the potentiometric surface; an artesian flow is where water flows out of the
borehole under natural pressure; groundwater in confined aquifers can sometimes be thousands
of years old.

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Formulae:

T = kb

Where:

T = aquifer transmissibility (m2/s)

k = aquifer hydraulic conductivity (m/s)

b = confined aquifer thickness (m)

Theim equation for steady-state flow in a confined aquifer for two piezometers

Where:

Q = well-discharge rate (m3/d)

KD = aquifer transmissibility (m2/d)

r1, r2 = respective distances of the piezometers from the pumping well (m)

s1, s2 = respective steady-state drawdowns in the piezometers (m)

Assumptions for Theim Equation for steady-state flow in a confined aquifer for two piezometers:

1. The aquifer is confined.

2. The aquifer has an infinite areal extent.
3. The aquifer is homogenous, isotropic, and of uniform thickness over the area influenced by
the test.

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4. Prior to pumping, the piezometric surface is horizontal over the area that will be influenced by
the test.
5. The aquifer is pumped at a constant discharge rate.
6. The well is screened iver the entire thickness of the aquifer ensuring entirely horizontal flow.
7. The hydraulic gradient between the pumping well and monitoring wells is at steady-state.
8. The water removed from the storage is discharged instantaneously with decline of head.
9. Storage in the well can be neglected (the diameter of the well is small).

Theim equation for steady-radial flow in a confined aquifer for two piezometers

Where:
K = coefficient of permeability
r = radius of the well
m = thickness of aquifer

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Unconfined Aquifer

An unconfined aquifer, also known as phreatic aquifer or water table, is an aquifer whose upper
water surface (water-table) is at atmospheric pressure thus able to rise and fall; water-table
aquifers are usually closer to the surface of the Earth than confined aquifers hence may be
impacted by climate conditions; it is found in wet regions where rainfall is high, and evaporation
and transpiration is low; these aquifers are high renewable because precipitation exceeds
evaporation and transpiration throughout most of the year; it is likely to have shifting annual
balances between precipitation, evaporation and transpiration in arid and semi-arid regions –
places where summer is hot, winter is mild. Recharge may be less to this aquifers hence resulting
in less groundwater availability.

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Formulae:

T = Kh

Where:

T = aquifer transmissibility

K = aquifer hydraulic conductivity (m/s)

h = height of water table in unconfined aquifer (m)

Theim equation for steady-flow in unconfined aquifer for two piezometers

Where:

H, h = depth of water

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r = radius of influence

K = coefficient of permiability

Aquiclude

Aquiclude, also known as aquifuge, is a rock formation with minimal values of hydraulic
conductivity which is almost impermeable with respect to groundwater flow although it may be
saturated with groundwater; it is a part of a formation wherein water has no movement virtually.

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References:

https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/aquifers-and-groundwater?qt-
science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects

https://www.britannica.com/science/aquifer

https://www.nationalgeographic.org/media/aquifer-illo/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/aquifer

https://www.livescience.com/39625-aquifers.html

http://techalive.mtu.edu/meec/module04/Basics3.htm

https://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/water/groundwater/aquifers/confined-unconfined-aquifers

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/confined-aquifer

https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/what-difference-between-a-confined-and-unconfined-water-table-
aquifer?qt-news_science_products=0#qt-news_science_products

https://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/water/groundwater/aquifers/confined-unconfined-aquifers

https://www.lmnoeng.com/Groundwater/transmissivity.php

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http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/water/groundwater/calculation-of-discharge-in-confined-and-
unconfined-aquifer/61128

http://www.dwa.gov.za/Groundwater/Groundwater_Dictionary/index.html?
introduction_aquiclude.htm

https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-
releases/aquiclude

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