TR(BR)-140 : Interaction of multilayer aquifer system with static water body

Abstract

Interaction aspects of surface water bodies with groundwater regime are essential features that require in-depth investigation consequent to increased activities of water resources development and management. Nevertheless, comprehensive frame work for the investigation and quantitative results for assessment of interaction characteristics are inadequate. The present report incorporates brief review of relevant literature in the pertaining area. Further, the influence of aquitards in a multilayer aquifer system having static source at the centre and constant-head boundaries is examined. The effects of position as well as thickness of aquitards in the medium on the hydraulic potential distribution and flow are investigated. It has been observed that for a given thickness of the aquitard, its influence is diminishing in the system when the top aquifer to bottom aquifer thickness ratio is increasing. Also, the influence of the aquitard is found insignificant in the system when the aquitard is placed below certain critical depth which is proportional to the aquitard thickness. The average discharge of the bottom aquifer is slightly higher than that of the top aquifer for small ratios of top and bottom aquifer thicknesses. But, the flow tends to become uniform in both the top and bottom aquifers when the influence of aquitards start diminishing at larger ratios of top and bottom aquifer thicknesses. However, generalisation would be possible only after considering a range of scenarios with changed hydraulic and flow parameters.