140 Chapter 3 Groundwater Movement

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/..

\
/./. ...•........
Cumulative rainfall
\ E
o /.

~o \~ Potential infiltration rate (; /./.

i~-_\~-----------
Q)
~
\
Rainfall rate
Actual infiltration
Q)
>
"3
iO E
a: rate ::l
o

Tima Time

Figure 3.12.6. Ponding time. This figure illustrates the concept of ponding time for a constant intensity rainfall. Ponding time is the
elapsed time between the time rainfall begins and the time water begins to pond on the soil surface.P"

Ponding time. tl}' is the elapsed time between the time rainfall begins and the time water begins to pond
on the soil surface. Develop an equation for ponding time under a constant rainfall intensity. i, usingthe
Green-Ampt infiltration equation (refer to Figure 3.12.6).

SOLUTION The infiltration rate f and the cumulative infiltration F are relatedin Equation 3.12.8. The cumulative
infiltration at ponding time tp is Fp:: i tp. in which i is the constant rainfall intensity (see Figure 3.12.6).
Substituting Fp :: i tp and the infiltration rate t= i into Equation 3.12.9. we have

i:: K( 'V.69 + IJItp

whose solution is

K'I' 69
t ::---
I' i(i-K)

which is the ponding time for a constant rainfall intensity.

PROBLEMS
3.1.1 A confined aquifer with a porosity of 0.15 is 30 m thick. The 3.1.3 A confined aquifer with a horizontal bed has a varying thick-
potentiometric surface elevations at two observation wells 1.000 ness as shown in the figure. Assuming the flow in the aquifer is
m apart are 52.35 m and 56.90 m. If the horizontal hydraulic con- essentially horizontal. determine the flow rate if the piezometric
ductivity of the aquifer is 25 mlday. determine the flow rate per heads at sections (I) and (2) are 23.7 m and 27.1 m, respectively.
unit width of the aquifer. specific discharge. and average linear
velocity of the flow assuming steady unidirectional flow. How
long would it take for a tracer to travel the distance between the
obervation wells?
K= 16m/day
3.1.2 A field sample of an aquifer is packed in a .test cylinder (see 20m
Figure 3.1.1). The cylinder has a length of 120 em and a diameter __ t _
of 12 ern. The field sample with a porosity of 0.24 is tested under 1~
.•-----1200 m-----+l-I
a constant head difference of 160 ern with water at lOoC. If the
estimated hydraulic conductivity of the sample is 30 mlday. 3.1.4 What should be the range of water temperature in Problem
calculate (a) the expected total discharge. (b) the specific dis- 3.1.2 for Darcy's law to be applicable if the median diameter of
charge. (c) the average flow velocity. and (d) the hydraulic gradi- the field sample is 2.2 mm? Is the water temperature given in the
ent along the cylinder. problem appropriate?
 Problems 141

3.1.5Could the .same apparatus in Problem 3.1.2 be used to test I

a fieldsample having a hydraulic conductivity of 86.4 mlday and K. 2.3 mlday. b.15 m I K.2.3m1day.b.10m \ (
K. 2.3 mlday, b. 20 m
a median grain diameter of 5 mm?
3.1.6If a 50-cm-long field sample with an estimated hydraulic K.12.8 mlday, b.15 m
K. 12.8 mlday, b. 20 m
K.12.8 mlday, b.10 m
conductivityof 8 mlday is to be tested in the laboratory (see Fig-
ure3.1.1) using water at 20°C, what would be maximum allow-
I
able head difference across the column? The sample has a
(a) (b) (e)
mediangrain diameter of 0.5 mm.
3.1.7 Rework Problem 3.1.6 with an estima~ed hydraulic con-
ductivityof 40 mlday and a median grain diameter of 1.5 mm.
3.4.2 The stratification of a confined aquifer with a horizontal
3.2.1The hydraulic conductivity of a medium sand was measured
bed varies as follows. Calculate the equivalent horizontal and
as 11.2m/day in a laboratory test with water at 25°C. (a) What is
vertical hydraulic conductivities in each case. What happens to
theintrinsic permeability of the sample in square micrometers?
the degree of anisotropy?
(b)What is the expected in-situ hydraulic conductivity if the nat-
uralgroundwater temperature is IDOC? I I I

K.1.4m1day. b. 5 m (
3.2.2The intrinsic permeability of a silty sand is 0.36 darcy. Plot
K.1.4 mlday, b~ 21 m ( I
the hydraulic conductivity as a function of water temperature
K.1.4m1day,b.5m \ )
from5°C to 30°C.
K.11.7 mlday, b. 5 m K. 11.7 mld.y, b. 7 m K.11.7 mlday. b. 24 ml
3.3.1A constant head permeameter has a cross-sectional area of
175cm2 and is used to measure the hydraulic conductivity of a
j j
fieldsample 40 cm long. If the permeameter discharges 100 ml in
(a) (b) (e)
320seconds under a head difference of 60 em: (a) what is the
hydraulicconductivity as measured in the laboratory? (b) what is
theintrinsic permeability of the sample given that water at 20°C
is usedfor the test? (c) is Darcy's law valid under the given con- 3.4.3 A confined aquifer has a constant thickness of 34 m and is
ditions(D = 0.5 mm)? and (d) what would be the in-situ hydraulic stratified between two observation wells as shown in the follow-
conductivityif the regional groundwater temperature is 12°C? ing figure. Given the piezometric surface elevations in the figure,
3.3.2If the medium sand in Examples 3.3.2 and 3.3.3 were sam- determine the flow per unit width of the aquifer. What is the
pled and tested exactly the same way as described in Example equivalent horizontal hydraulic conductivity of that section of
3.3.4,how long would it take for the head to drop from 8 cm to I the confined aquifer between the observation wells?
em?
3.3.3A 30-cm-long field sample is tested in a falling head per-
meameterwith a lO-cm diameter cylinder. The diameter of the £+14,6m
tubeis 10mm. The water level in the tube is 35 em above the out-
let levelafter one hour of operation, while the level drops to 22
emafter 12hours of operation. Find the hydraulic conductivity of
thesample. '
3.3.4If the silty, fine sand sample in Example 3.3.4 were tested
thesame way as in Example 3.3.3, how long would it take to col-
lect200 m1of water at the outlet?
3.3.5The average flow velocity at a point in an aquifer was found
to be 0.68 m/day by means of a point dilution test. If the slope of
thepiezometric surface at the same point is 0.018 and the aquifer
materialhas a porosity of 0.23, determine the hydraulic conduc-
tivityof the aquifer at that point.
3.4.1 The stratification of the same aquifer at three locations is
shown below. Calculate the equivalent horizontal and vertical 3.5.1 The groundwater temperatures in the United States vary from
hydraulic conductivities for each location. What happens to the about 4°C in the northern part to approximately.Xr'C in the south-

.•
degree of anisotropy? ern part. Assuming a productive alluvial aquifer with an intrinsic