Abstract:
An analytical solution has been developed by solving the linearized form of the Boussinesq equation to predict the
water table fluctuation between drains in presence of evapotranspiration (ET) and recharge from the land surface.
The variable ET rate has been considered to decrease linearly with increase in depth to the water table below the
land surface and the recharge has been taken to occur at a constant rate. Specific cases of the proposed analytical
solution converge to the already existing analytical solutions and numerically a close match of the water table
height has been observed. The variation of water table and performance of the solution has been highlighted with
the aid of a numerical example for which the drainage parameters have been taken from an actually operating
drainage system. Application of the solution results in wider drain spacings and suggests a 7 to 12% economy in
the drainage design for the given example.
