{"id":1165,"date":"2026-05-12T21:46:28","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T21:46:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/books.gw-project.org\/basic-hydrogeology-an-introduction-to-the-fundamentals-of-groundwater-science\/chapter\/well-hydraulics-2\/"},"modified":"2026-09-02T18:10:47","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T18:10:47","slug":"well-hydraulics-2","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/books.gw-project.org\/basic-hydrogeology-an-introduction-to-the-fundamentals-of-groundwater-science\/chapter\/well-hydraulics-2\/","title":{"raw":"7.3 Well Hydraulics","rendered":"7.3 Well Hydraulics"},"content":{"raw":"<div id=\"well-hydraulics-1\" class=\"level1\">\r\n<div data-custom-style=\"First Paragraph\">\r\n\r\nNow that we have discussed wells, we discuss how groundwater flows to wells. To understand the hydraulics behind flow to wells, we need to first simplify the system and start with some basic assumptions that are listed here.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<ol type=\"1\">\r\n \t<li>The aquifer is homogeneous and isotropic.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>The aquifer is bounded on the bottom and top by confining layers.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>All geologic formations are horizontal and have infinite horizontal extent.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>The potentiometric surface of the aquifer is horizontal prior to the start of pumping, and water levels are at steady state.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Any changes to the position of the potentiometric surface are caused only by the pumping well.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>All flow in the aquifer is horizontal.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>All flow to the well is radial.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Darcy\u2019s law is valid.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Groundwater has a constant density and viscosity.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>All wells are fully penetrating.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>The diameter of the pumping well is negligible.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<div data-custom-style=\"First Paragraph\">\r\n\r\nGenerally, in practice, well hydraulics solutions can be applied even when these assumptions are not rigorously met, but they are needed to be precise with respect to the mathematical development. We now use the groundwater flow equation that we developed in previous sections to describe groundwater flow towards and into a pumping well.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div id=\"horizontal-radial-flow\" class=\"level3\">\r\n<h3>Horizontal Radial Flow<\/h3>\r\n<div data-custom-style=\"First Paragraph\">\r\n\r\nWe have discussed and developed the equation that governs the flow of groundwater in three dimensions; as shown by Equation\u00a0<a href=\"#X8c31c4790309f8ed17e099ce8f408a9f5bc4773\"><span data-custom-style=\"Hyperlink\">(58)<\/span><\/a>.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<table style=\"width: 85%;\" data-custom-style=\"Table\"><colgroup> <col style=\"width: 8%;\" \/> <col style=\"width: 64%;\" \/> <col style=\"width: 11%;\" \/> <\/colgroup>\r\n<thead>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th><\/th>\r\n<th style=\"text-align: center;\">[latex]\\frac{{\\partial q}_{x}}{\\partial x} + \\frac{{\\partial q}_{y}}{\\partial y} + \\frac{{\\partial q}_{z}}{\\partial z} = S_{s}\\frac{\\partial h}{\\partial t}[\/latex]<\/th>\r\n<th style=\"text-align: right;\"><span id=\"X8c31c4790309f8ed17e099ce8f408a9f5bc4773\" class=\"anchor\">(58)<\/span><\/th>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/thead>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<div data-custom-style=\"Body Text\">\r\n\r\nwhere (parameter dimensions are dark green font with mass as M, length as L, time as T):\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<table style=\"width: 85%;\" data-custom-style=\"Table\"><colgroup> <col style=\"width: 9%;\" \/> <col style=\"width: 5%;\" \/> <col style=\"width: 70%;\" \/> <\/colgroup>\r\n<thead>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th style=\"text-align: right;\"><em>q<\/em><\/th>\r\n<th style=\"text-align: center;\">[latex]=[\/latex]<\/th>\r\n<th>specific discharge (i.e., groundwater flow) in the [latex]x,\\ y,[\/latex] or [latex]z[\/latex] direction (LT<sup>\u20111<\/sup>)<\/th>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/thead>\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"text-align: right;\"><em>x, y, z<\/em><\/td>\r\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">[latex]=[\/latex]<\/td>\r\n<td>lengths in the principal directions in our coordinate systems<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"text-align: right;\">[latex]h[\/latex]<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">[latex]=[\/latex]<\/td>\r\n<td>hydraulic head (L)<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"text-align: right;\">[latex]t[\/latex]<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">[latex]=[\/latex]<\/td>\r\n<td>time (T)<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"text-align: right;\">[latex]S_{s}[\/latex]<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">[latex]=[\/latex]<\/td>\r\n<td>specific storage (L<sup>\u20111<\/sup>)<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<div data-custom-style=\"Body Text\">\r\n\r\nWe substituted Darcy\u2019s law\u2014shown as Equation\u00a0<a href=\"#X719b84703709685a6c5caa1c6f8204bc3c1773c\"><span data-custom-style=\"Hyperlink\">(59)<\/span><\/a>\u2014for <em>q<\/em>.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<table style=\"width: 85%;\" data-custom-style=\"Table\"><colgroup> <col style=\"width: 8%;\" \/> <col style=\"width: 64%;\" \/> <col style=\"width: 11%;\" \/> <\/colgroup>\r\n<thead>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th><\/th>\r\n<th style=\"text-align: center;\">[latex]q = - K\\frac{dh}{dl}[\/latex]<\/th>\r\n<th style=\"text-align: right;\"><span id=\"X719b84703709685a6c5caa1c6f8204bc3c1773c\" class=\"anchor\">(59)<\/span><\/th>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/thead>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<div data-custom-style=\"Body Text\">\r\n\r\nwhere (parameter dimensions are dark green font with mass as M, length as L, time as T):\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<table style=\"width: 85%;\" data-custom-style=\"Table\"><colgroup> <col style=\"width: 10%;\" \/> <col style=\"width: 5%;\" \/> <col style=\"width: 68%;\" \/> <\/colgroup>\r\n<thead>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th style=\"text-align: right;\">[latex]K[\/latex]<\/th>\r\n<th style=\"text-align: center;\">=<\/th>\r\n<th>hydraulic conductivity (LT<sup>-1<\/sup>)<\/th>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/thead>\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"text-align: right;\">[latex]\\frac{dh}{dl}[\/latex]<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">=<\/td>\r\n<td>hydraulic gradient, or change in head with distance, <em>l<\/em> ([latex]:[\/latex])<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<div data-custom-style=\"Body Text\">\r\n\r\nThe result is Equation\u00a0<a href=\"#Xe9df6285c91c17882980e473251189a0f3001b5\"><span data-custom-style=\"Hyperlink\">(60)<\/span><\/a>.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<table style=\"width: 85%;\" data-custom-style=\"Table\"><colgroup> <col style=\"width: 8%;\" \/> <col style=\"width: 64%;\" \/> <col style=\"width: 11%;\" \/> <\/colgroup>\r\n<thead>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th><\/th>\r\n<th style=\"text-align: center;\">[latex]\\frac{\\partial\\left( K_{x}\\frac{\\partial h}{\\partial x} \\right)}{\\partial x} + \\frac{\\partial\\left( K_{y}\\frac{\\partial h}{\\partial y} \\right)}{\\partial y} + \\frac{\\partial\\left( K_{z}\\frac{\\partial h}{\\partial z} \\right)}{\\partial z} = S_{s}\\frac{\\partial h}{\\partial t}[\/latex]<\/th>\r\n<th style=\"text-align: right;\"><span id=\"Xe9df6285c91c17882980e473251189a0f3001b5\" class=\"anchor\">(60)<\/span><\/th>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/thead>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<div data-custom-style=\"Body Text\">\r\n\r\nNow, if we assume the aquifer is homogeneous and isotropic (as discussed in Section 5\u2014<em>More on Flow Equations<\/em>), but not necessarily steady\u2011state, the result appears as Equation\u00a0<a href=\"#Xba0ccef3ec9c8600e53a3c3629042e99ad4d163\"><span data-custom-style=\"Hyperlink\">(61)<\/span><\/a>.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<table style=\"width: 85%;\" data-custom-style=\"Table\"><colgroup> <col style=\"width: 8%;\" \/> <col style=\"width: 64%;\" \/> <col style=\"width: 11%;\" \/> <\/colgroup>\r\n<thead>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th><\/th>\r\n<th style=\"text-align: center;\">[latex]K\\left( \\frac{\\partial^{2}h}{{\\partial x}^{2}} + \\frac{\\partial^{2}h}{{\\partial y}^{2}} + \\frac{\\partial^{2}h}{{\\partial z}^{2}} \\right) = S_{s}\\frac{\\partial h}{\\partial t}[\/latex]<\/th>\r\n<th style=\"text-align: right;\"><span id=\"Xba0ccef3ec9c8600e53a3c3629042e99ad4d163\" class=\"anchor\">(61)<\/span><\/th>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/thead>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<div data-custom-style=\"Body Text\">\r\n\r\nAssumption #6 states that all flow is horizontal. This means that there is no vertical component of flow, and therefore, the [latex]z[\/latex] term can be eliminated to obtain Equation\u00a0<a href=\"#X6613e0885a43135e3443cd43366dcafb0bd8672\"><span data-custom-style=\"Hyperlink\">(62)<\/span><\/a>.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<table style=\"width: 85%;\" data-custom-style=\"Table\"><colgroup> <col style=\"width: 8%;\" \/> <col style=\"width: 64%;\" \/> <col style=\"width: 11%;\" \/> <\/colgroup>\r\n<thead>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th><\/th>\r\n<th style=\"text-align: center;\">[latex]K\\left( \\frac{\\partial^{2}h}{{\\partial x}^{2}} + \\frac{\\partial^{2}h}{{\\partial y}^{2}} \\right) = S_{s}\\frac{\\partial h}{\\partial t}[\/latex]<\/th>\r\n<th style=\"text-align: right;\"><span id=\"X6613e0885a43135e3443cd43366dcafb0bd8672\" class=\"anchor\">(62)<\/span><\/th>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/thead>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<div data-custom-style=\"Body Text\">\r\n\r\nNow, recalling that <em>transmissivity<\/em> ([latex]T[\/latex]) is defined as [latex]T = Kb[\/latex] (where [latex]b[\/latex] is the saturated thickness of the aquifer) and <em>storativity<\/em> ([latex]S[\/latex]) is defined as[latex]\\ S = S_{s}b[\/latex], we multiply both sides by [latex]b[\/latex], to get Equation\u00a0<a href=\"#X97db3a98eb65cae9b573e0fb4f74ae26cc810d6\"><span data-custom-style=\"Hyperlink\">(63)<\/span><\/a>.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<table style=\"width: 85%;\" data-custom-style=\"Table\"><colgroup> <col style=\"width: 8%;\" \/> <col style=\"width: 64%;\" \/> <col style=\"width: 11%;\" \/> <\/colgroup>\r\n<thead>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th><\/th>\r\n<th style=\"text-align: center;\">[latex]Kb\\left( \\frac{\\partial^{2}h}{{\\partial x}^{2}} + \\frac{\\partial^{2}h}{{\\partial y}^{2}} \\right) = S_{s}b\\frac{\\partial h}{\\partial t}[\/latex]<\/th>\r\n<th style=\"text-align: right;\"><span id=\"X97db3a98eb65cae9b573e0fb4f74ae26cc810d6\" class=\"anchor\">(63)<\/span><\/th>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/thead>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<div data-custom-style=\"Body Text\">\r\n\r\nThen, substituting with <em>S<\/em> and <em>T<\/em>, and dividing both sides by <em>T<\/em>, we obtain Equation\u00a0<a href=\"#X7eb265bb19abc184837961de94c80c662f4dc03\"><span data-custom-style=\"Hyperlink\">(64)<\/span><\/a>.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<table style=\"width: 85%;\" data-custom-style=\"Table\"><colgroup> <col style=\"width: 8%;\" \/> <col style=\"width: 64%;\" \/> <col style=\"width: 11%;\" \/> <\/colgroup>\r\n<thead>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th><\/th>\r\n<th style=\"text-align: center;\">[latex]\\frac{\\partial^{2}h}{{\\partial x}^{2}} + \\frac{\\partial^{2}h}{{\\partial y}^{2}} = \\frac{S}{T}\\frac{\\partial h}{\\partial t}[\/latex]<\/th>\r\n<th style=\"text-align: right;\"><span id=\"X7eb265bb19abc184837961de94c80c662f4dc03\" class=\"anchor\">(64)<\/span><\/th>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/thead>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<div data-custom-style=\"Body Text\">\r\n\r\nIf the aquifer is receiving recharge, either from infiltration of rain in an unconfined aquifer, or from leakage through a confining layer in a confined aquifer, we can add that directly to the equation and get Equation\u00a0<a href=\"#X3d99bc7fcd389df46eeb143517490961c7e0dd7\"><span data-custom-style=\"Hyperlink\">(65)<\/span><\/a>.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<table style=\"width: 85%;\" data-custom-style=\"Table\"><colgroup> <col style=\"width: 8%;\" \/> <col style=\"width: 64%;\" \/> <col style=\"width: 11%;\" \/> <\/colgroup>\r\n<thead>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th><\/th>\r\n<th style=\"text-align: center;\">[latex]\\frac{\\partial^{2}h}{{\\partial x}^{2}} + \\frac{\\partial^{2}h}{{\\partial y}^{2}} + \\frac{w}{T} = \\frac{S}{T}\\frac{\\partial h}{\\partial t}[\/latex]<\/th>\r\n<th style=\"text-align: right;\"><span id=\"X3d99bc7fcd389df46eeb143517490961c7e0dd7\" class=\"anchor\">(65)<\/span><\/th>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/thead>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<div data-custom-style=\"Body Text\">\r\n\r\nwhere (parameter dimensions are dark green font with mass as M, length as L, time as T):\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<table style=\"width: 85%;\" data-custom-style=\"Table\"><colgroup> <col style=\"width: 10%;\" \/> <col style=\"width: 5%;\" \/> <col style=\"width: 68%;\" \/> <\/colgroup>\r\n<thead>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th style=\"text-align: right;\">[latex]w[\/latex]<\/th>\r\n<th style=\"text-align: center;\">=<\/th>\r\n<th>rate of vertical leakage or recharge (LT<sup>\u20111<\/sup>)<\/th>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/thead>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<div data-custom-style=\"Body Text\">\r\n\r\nNow, the thing about flow to a well is that it is <em>radial<\/em>; in other words, flow lines are converging on the well from all sides (<a href=\"#Xba9ab10a336ed33ce83466e9e544f09ad548b4e\"><span data-custom-style=\"Hyperlink\">Figure\u00a036<\/span><\/a>). Because the flow lines converge, the equipotential lines\u2014indicated by dashed lines on <a href=\"#Xba9ab10a336ed33ce83466e9e544f09ad548b4e\"><span data-custom-style=\"Hyperlink\">Figure\u00a036<\/span><\/a> get closer together near the well. This represents the <em>cone of depression<\/em> that forms around the well.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div data-custom-style=\"Captioned Figure\">\r\n\r\n<img style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; ;width: 5.07292in; height: 2.83435in;\" src=\"https:\/\/books.gw-project.org\/basic-hydrogeology-an-introduction-to-the-fundamentals-of-groundwater-science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2026\/05\/file38-2.jpg\" alt=\"A close-up of a graph Description automatically generated\" \/>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div data-custom-style=\"Block Text\">\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div class=\"figcaption-text\">\r\n\r\n<span id=\"Xba9ab10a336ed33ce83466e9e544f09ad548b4e\" class=\"anchor\"><strong>Figure\u00a036\u00a0\u2011\u00a0<\/strong>Radial flow to a well. The dashed lines are equipotential lines that are lowest closest to the well, which is represented by the dot in the center.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<\/div><\/blockquote>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div data-custom-style=\"First Paragraph\">\r\n\r\nNow, because we are dealing with radial flow to the well, it helps to express the equations in terms of a <em>polar (or cylindrical) coordinate system<\/em> rather than the simple Cartesian ([latex]x,\\ y[\/latex]) coordinate system. In polar coordinates, a point is defined by its location with respect to a fixed central pole (in this case, the well). The location of a point is defined by its radial distance from the pole ([latex]r[\/latex]) and the angle ([latex]\\theta[\/latex]) between the radial line and some fixed polar axis (for example, north). Polar coordinates are graphically described in <a href=\"#X4951e21b29e95b1830bc88efa7449998d485222\"><span data-custom-style=\"Hyperlink\">Figure\u00a037<\/span><\/a>.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div data-custom-style=\"Captioned Figure\">\r\n\r\n<img style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; ;width: 2.48in; height: 1.67655in;\" src=\"https:\/\/books.gw-project.org\/basic-hydrogeology-an-introduction-to-the-fundamentals-of-groundwater-science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2026\/05\/file39-2.jpg\" alt=\"A diagram of a straight line Description automatically generated\" \/>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div data-custom-style=\"Block Text\">\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div class=\"figcaption-text\">\r\n\r\n<span id=\"X4951e21b29e95b1830bc88efa7449998d485222\" class=\"anchor\"><strong>Figure\u00a037\u00a0\u2011\u00a0<\/strong>Polar coordinate system.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<\/div><\/blockquote>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div data-custom-style=\"First Paragraph\">\r\n\r\nWe can use the Pythagorean Theorem and some basic geometry to re\u2011state our two\u2011dimensional flow equations in polar coordinates (<span id=\"box1text\" class=\"anchor\"><a href=\"#X2e7cbd3dc4127ea2f04a953d529fcec08affac9\"><span data-custom-style=\"Hyperlink\">Box\u00a01<\/span><\/a>\u2ba7 shows a complete derivation). When we do so, we have Equation\u00a0<a href=\"#Xafad882aa995ec34e12960e39b7fcbc6f69a778\"><span data-custom-style=\"Hyperlink\">(66)<\/span><\/a> and Equation\u00a0<a href=\"#Xe958ae242668f0de398fb8e4719749054e3494a\"><span data-custom-style=\"Hyperlink\">(67)<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<table style=\"width: 85%;\" data-custom-style=\"Table\"><colgroup> <col style=\"width: 8%;\" \/> <col style=\"width: 64%;\" \/> <col style=\"width: 11%;\" \/> <\/colgroup>\r\n<thead>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th><\/th>\r\n<th style=\"text-align: center;\">[latex]\\frac{\\partial^{2}h}{{\\partial r}^{2}} + \\frac{1}{r}\\frac{\\partial h}{\\partial r} = \\frac{S}{T}\\frac{\\partial h}{\\partial t}[\/latex]<\/th>\r\n<th style=\"text-align: right;\"><span id=\"Xafad882aa995ec34e12960e39b7fcbc6f69a778\" class=\"anchor\">(66)<\/span><\/th>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/thead>\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td><\/td>\r\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">[latex]\\frac{\\partial^{2}h}{{\\partial r}^{2}} + \\frac{1}{r}\\frac{\\partial h}{\\partial r} + \\frac{w}{T} = \\frac{S}{T}\\frac{\\partial h}{\\partial t}[\/latex]<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"text-align: right;\"><span id=\"Xe958ae242668f0de398fb8e4719749054e3494a\" class=\"anchor\">(67)<\/span><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<div data-custom-style=\"Body Text\">\r\n\r\nEquation\u00a0<a href=\"#Xe958ae242668f0de398fb8e4719749054e3494a\"><span data-custom-style=\"Hyperlink\">(67)<\/span><\/a> is a differential equation that describes radial horizontal flow to a well based on a polar coordinate system. Since it is a differential equation, it requires some complex mathematical operations\u2014like Fourier transforms, Bessel functions, and Laplace transforms\u2014to solve. Fortunately for us, these solutions have already been done, and all you need at this point is some understanding of what they mean and how they are used.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>","rendered":"<div id=\"well-hydraulics-1\" class=\"level1\">\n<div data-custom-style=\"First Paragraph\">\n<p>Now that we have discussed wells, we discuss how groundwater flows to wells. To understand the hydraulics behind flow to wells, we need to first simplify the system and start with some basic assumptions that are listed here.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<ol type=\"1\">\n<li>The aquifer is homogeneous and isotropic.<\/li>\n<li>The aquifer is bounded on the bottom and top by confining layers.<\/li>\n<li>All geologic formations are horizontal and have infinite horizontal extent.<\/li>\n<li>The potentiometric surface of the aquifer is horizontal prior to the start of pumping, and water levels are at steady state.<\/li>\n<li>Any changes to the position of the potentiometric surface are caused only by the pumping well.<\/li>\n<li>All flow in the aquifer is horizontal.<\/li>\n<li>All flow to the well is radial.<\/li>\n<li>Darcy\u2019s law is valid.<\/li>\n<li>Groundwater has a constant density and viscosity.<\/li>\n<li>All wells are fully penetrating.<\/li>\n<li>The diameter of the pumping well is negligible.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div data-custom-style=\"First Paragraph\">\n<p>Generally, in practice, well hydraulics solutions can be applied even when these assumptions are not rigorously met, but they are needed to be precise with respect to the mathematical development. We now use the groundwater flow equation that we developed in previous sections to describe groundwater flow towards and into a pumping well.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"horizontal-radial-flow\" class=\"level3\">\n<h3>Horizontal Radial Flow<\/h3>\n<div data-custom-style=\"First Paragraph\">\n<p>We have discussed and developed the equation that governs the flow of groundwater in three dimensions; as shown by Equation\u00a0<a href=\"#X8c31c4790309f8ed17e099ce8f408a9f5bc4773\"><span data-custom-style=\"Hyperlink\">(58)<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<table style=\"width: 85%;\" data-custom-style=\"Table\">\n<colgroup>\n<col style=\"width: 8%;\" \/>\n<col style=\"width: 64%;\" \/>\n<col style=\"width: 11%;\" \/> <\/colgroup>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th><\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: center;\">[latex]\\frac{{\\partial q}_{x}}{\\partial x} + \\frac{{\\partial q}_{y}}{\\partial y} + \\frac{{\\partial q}_{z}}{\\partial z} = S_{s}\\frac{\\partial h}{\\partial t}[\/latex]<\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: right;\"><span id=\"X8c31c4790309f8ed17e099ce8f408a9f5bc4773\" class=\"anchor\">(58)<\/span><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<\/table>\n<div data-custom-style=\"Body Text\">\n<p>where (parameter dimensions are dark green font with mass as M, length as L, time as T):<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<table style=\"width: 85%;\" data-custom-style=\"Table\">\n<colgroup>\n<col style=\"width: 9%;\" \/>\n<col style=\"width: 5%;\" \/>\n<col style=\"width: 70%;\" \/> <\/colgroup>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"text-align: right;\"><em>q<\/em><\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: center;\">[latex]=[\/latex]<\/th>\n<th>specific discharge (i.e., groundwater flow) in the [latex]x,\\ y,[\/latex] or [latex]z[\/latex] direction (LT<sup>\u20111<\/sup>)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: right;\"><em>x, y, z<\/em><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">[latex]=[\/latex]<\/td>\n<td>lengths in the principal directions in our coordinate systems<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: right;\">[latex]h[\/latex]<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">[latex]=[\/latex]<\/td>\n<td>hydraulic head (L)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: right;\">[latex]t[\/latex]<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">[latex]=[\/latex]<\/td>\n<td>time (T)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: right;\">[latex]S_{s}[\/latex]<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">[latex]=[\/latex]<\/td>\n<td>specific storage (L<sup>\u20111<\/sup>)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<div data-custom-style=\"Body Text\">\n<p>We substituted Darcy\u2019s law\u2014shown as Equation\u00a0<a href=\"#X719b84703709685a6c5caa1c6f8204bc3c1773c\"><span data-custom-style=\"Hyperlink\">(59)<\/span><\/a>\u2014for <em>q<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<table style=\"width: 85%;\" data-custom-style=\"Table\">\n<colgroup>\n<col style=\"width: 8%;\" \/>\n<col style=\"width: 64%;\" \/>\n<col style=\"width: 11%;\" \/> <\/colgroup>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th><\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: center;\">[latex]q = - K\\frac{dh}{dl}[\/latex]<\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: right;\"><span id=\"X719b84703709685a6c5caa1c6f8204bc3c1773c\" class=\"anchor\">(59)<\/span><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<\/table>\n<div data-custom-style=\"Body Text\">\n<p>where (parameter dimensions are dark green font with mass as M, length as L, time as T):<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<table style=\"width: 85%;\" data-custom-style=\"Table\">\n<colgroup>\n<col style=\"width: 10%;\" \/>\n<col style=\"width: 5%;\" \/>\n<col style=\"width: 68%;\" \/> <\/colgroup>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"text-align: right;\">[latex]K[\/latex]<\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: center;\">=<\/th>\n<th>hydraulic conductivity (LT<sup>-1<\/sup>)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: right;\">[latex]\\frac{dh}{dl}[\/latex]<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">=<\/td>\n<td>hydraulic gradient, or change in head with distance, <em>l<\/em> ([latex]:[\/latex])<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<div data-custom-style=\"Body Text\">\n<p>The result is Equation\u00a0<a href=\"#Xe9df6285c91c17882980e473251189a0f3001b5\"><span data-custom-style=\"Hyperlink\">(60)<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<table style=\"width: 85%;\" data-custom-style=\"Table\">\n<colgroup>\n<col style=\"width: 8%;\" \/>\n<col style=\"width: 64%;\" \/>\n<col style=\"width: 11%;\" \/> <\/colgroup>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th><\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: center;\">[latex]\\frac{\\partial\\left( K_{x}\\frac{\\partial h}{\\partial x} \\right)}{\\partial x} + \\frac{\\partial\\left( K_{y}\\frac{\\partial h}{\\partial y} \\right)}{\\partial y} + \\frac{\\partial\\left( K_{z}\\frac{\\partial h}{\\partial z} \\right)}{\\partial z} = S_{s}\\frac{\\partial h}{\\partial t}[\/latex]<\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: right;\"><span id=\"Xe9df6285c91c17882980e473251189a0f3001b5\" class=\"anchor\">(60)<\/span><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<\/table>\n<div data-custom-style=\"Body Text\">\n<p>Now, if we assume the aquifer is homogeneous and isotropic (as discussed in Section 5\u2014<em>More on Flow Equations<\/em>), but not necessarily steady\u2011state, the result appears as Equation\u00a0<a href=\"#Xba0ccef3ec9c8600e53a3c3629042e99ad4d163\"><span data-custom-style=\"Hyperlink\">(61)<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<table style=\"width: 85%;\" data-custom-style=\"Table\">\n<colgroup>\n<col style=\"width: 8%;\" \/>\n<col style=\"width: 64%;\" \/>\n<col style=\"width: 11%;\" \/> <\/colgroup>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th><\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: center;\">[latex]K\\left( \\frac{\\partial^{2}h}{{\\partial x}^{2}} + \\frac{\\partial^{2}h}{{\\partial y}^{2}} + \\frac{\\partial^{2}h}{{\\partial z}^{2}} \\right) = S_{s}\\frac{\\partial h}{\\partial t}[\/latex]<\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: right;\"><span id=\"Xba0ccef3ec9c8600e53a3c3629042e99ad4d163\" class=\"anchor\">(61)<\/span><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<\/table>\n<div data-custom-style=\"Body Text\">\n<p>Assumption #6 states that all flow is horizontal. This means that there is no vertical component of flow, and therefore, the [latex]z[\/latex] term can be eliminated to obtain Equation\u00a0<a href=\"#X6613e0885a43135e3443cd43366dcafb0bd8672\"><span data-custom-style=\"Hyperlink\">(62)<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<table style=\"width: 85%;\" data-custom-style=\"Table\">\n<colgroup>\n<col style=\"width: 8%;\" \/>\n<col style=\"width: 64%;\" \/>\n<col style=\"width: 11%;\" \/> <\/colgroup>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th><\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: center;\">[latex]K\\left( \\frac{\\partial^{2}h}{{\\partial x}^{2}} + \\frac{\\partial^{2}h}{{\\partial y}^{2}} \\right) = S_{s}\\frac{\\partial h}{\\partial t}[\/latex]<\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: right;\"><span id=\"X6613e0885a43135e3443cd43366dcafb0bd8672\" class=\"anchor\">(62)<\/span><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<\/table>\n<div data-custom-style=\"Body Text\">\n<p>Now, recalling that <em>transmissivity<\/em> ([latex]T[\/latex]) is defined as [latex]T = Kb[\/latex] (where [latex]b[\/latex] is the saturated thickness of the aquifer) and <em>storativity<\/em> ([latex]S[\/latex]) is defined as[latex]\\ S = S_{s}b[\/latex], we multiply both sides by [latex]b[\/latex], to get Equation\u00a0<a href=\"#X97db3a98eb65cae9b573e0fb4f74ae26cc810d6\"><span data-custom-style=\"Hyperlink\">(63)<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<table style=\"width: 85%;\" data-custom-style=\"Table\">\n<colgroup>\n<col style=\"width: 8%;\" \/>\n<col style=\"width: 64%;\" \/>\n<col style=\"width: 11%;\" \/> <\/colgroup>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th><\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: center;\">[latex]Kb\\left( \\frac{\\partial^{2}h}{{\\partial x}^{2}} + \\frac{\\partial^{2}h}{{\\partial y}^{2}} \\right) = S_{s}b\\frac{\\partial h}{\\partial t}[\/latex]<\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: right;\"><span id=\"X97db3a98eb65cae9b573e0fb4f74ae26cc810d6\" class=\"anchor\">(63)<\/span><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<\/table>\n<div data-custom-style=\"Body Text\">\n<p>Then, substituting with <em>S<\/em> and <em>T<\/em>, and dividing both sides by <em>T<\/em>, we obtain Equation\u00a0<a href=\"#X7eb265bb19abc184837961de94c80c662f4dc03\"><span data-custom-style=\"Hyperlink\">(64)<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<table style=\"width: 85%;\" data-custom-style=\"Table\">\n<colgroup>\n<col style=\"width: 8%;\" \/>\n<col style=\"width: 64%;\" \/>\n<col style=\"width: 11%;\" \/> <\/colgroup>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th><\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: center;\">[latex]\\frac{\\partial^{2}h}{{\\partial x}^{2}} + \\frac{\\partial^{2}h}{{\\partial y}^{2}} = \\frac{S}{T}\\frac{\\partial h}{\\partial t}[\/latex]<\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: right;\"><span id=\"X7eb265bb19abc184837961de94c80c662f4dc03\" class=\"anchor\">(64)<\/span><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<\/table>\n<div data-custom-style=\"Body Text\">\n<p>If the aquifer is receiving recharge, either from infiltration of rain in an unconfined aquifer, or from leakage through a confining layer in a confined aquifer, we can add that directly to the equation and get Equation\u00a0<a href=\"#X3d99bc7fcd389df46eeb143517490961c7e0dd7\"><span data-custom-style=\"Hyperlink\">(65)<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<table style=\"width: 85%;\" data-custom-style=\"Table\">\n<colgroup>\n<col style=\"width: 8%;\" \/>\n<col style=\"width: 64%;\" \/>\n<col style=\"width: 11%;\" \/> <\/colgroup>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th><\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: center;\">[latex]\\frac{\\partial^{2}h}{{\\partial x}^{2}} + \\frac{\\partial^{2}h}{{\\partial y}^{2}} + \\frac{w}{T} = \\frac{S}{T}\\frac{\\partial h}{\\partial t}[\/latex]<\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: right;\"><span id=\"X3d99bc7fcd389df46eeb143517490961c7e0dd7\" class=\"anchor\">(65)<\/span><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<\/table>\n<div data-custom-style=\"Body Text\">\n<p>where (parameter dimensions are dark green font with mass as M, length as L, time as T):<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<table style=\"width: 85%;\" data-custom-style=\"Table\">\n<colgroup>\n<col style=\"width: 10%;\" \/>\n<col style=\"width: 5%;\" \/>\n<col style=\"width: 68%;\" \/> <\/colgroup>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"text-align: right;\">[latex]w[\/latex]<\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: center;\">=<\/th>\n<th>rate of vertical leakage or recharge (LT<sup>\u20111<\/sup>)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<\/table>\n<div data-custom-style=\"Body Text\">\n<p>Now, the thing about flow to a well is that it is <em>radial<\/em>; in other words, flow lines are converging on the well from all sides (<a href=\"#Xba9ab10a336ed33ce83466e9e544f09ad548b4e\"><span data-custom-style=\"Hyperlink\">Figure\u00a036<\/span><\/a>). Because the flow lines converge, the equipotential lines\u2014indicated by dashed lines on <a href=\"#Xba9ab10a336ed33ce83466e9e544f09ad548b4e\"><span data-custom-style=\"Hyperlink\">Figure\u00a036<\/span><\/a> get closer together near the well. This represents the <em>cone of depression<\/em> that forms around the well.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-custom-style=\"Captioned Figure\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; ;width: 5.07292in; height: 2.83435in;\" src=\"https:\/\/books.gw-project.org\/basic-hydrogeology-an-introduction-to-the-fundamentals-of-groundwater-science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2026\/05\/file38-2.jpg\" alt=\"A close-up of a graph Description automatically generated\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-custom-style=\"Block Text\">\n<blockquote>\n<div class=\"figcaption-text\">\n<p><span id=\"Xba9ab10a336ed33ce83466e9e544f09ad548b4e\" class=\"anchor\"><strong>Figure\u00a036\u00a0\u2011\u00a0<\/strong>Radial flow to a well. The dashed lines are equipotential lines that are lowest closest to the well, which is represented by the dot in the center.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div data-custom-style=\"First Paragraph\">\n<p>Now, because we are dealing with radial flow to the well, it helps to express the equations in terms of a <em>polar (or cylindrical) coordinate system<\/em> rather than the simple Cartesian ([latex]x,\\ y[\/latex]) coordinate system. In polar coordinates, a point is defined by its location with respect to a fixed central pole (in this case, the well). The location of a point is defined by its radial distance from the pole ([latex]r[\/latex]) and the angle ([latex]\\theta[\/latex]) between the radial line and some fixed polar axis (for example, north). Polar coordinates are graphically described in <a href=\"#X4951e21b29e95b1830bc88efa7449998d485222\"><span data-custom-style=\"Hyperlink\">Figure\u00a037<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-custom-style=\"Captioned Figure\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; ;width: 2.48in; height: 1.67655in;\" src=\"https:\/\/books.gw-project.org\/basic-hydrogeology-an-introduction-to-the-fundamentals-of-groundwater-science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2026\/05\/file39-2.jpg\" alt=\"A diagram of a straight line Description automatically generated\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-custom-style=\"Block Text\">\n<blockquote>\n<div class=\"figcaption-text\">\n<p><span id=\"X4951e21b29e95b1830bc88efa7449998d485222\" class=\"anchor\"><strong>Figure\u00a037\u00a0\u2011\u00a0<\/strong>Polar coordinate system.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div data-custom-style=\"First Paragraph\">\n<p>We can use the Pythagorean Theorem and some basic geometry to re\u2011state our two\u2011dimensional flow equations in polar coordinates (<span id=\"box1text\" class=\"anchor\"><a href=\"#X2e7cbd3dc4127ea2f04a953d529fcec08affac9\"><span data-custom-style=\"Hyperlink\">Box\u00a01<\/span><\/a>\u2ba7 shows a complete derivation). When we do so, we have Equation\u00a0<a href=\"#Xafad882aa995ec34e12960e39b7fcbc6f69a778\"><span data-custom-style=\"Hyperlink\">(66)<\/span><\/a> and Equation\u00a0<a href=\"#Xe958ae242668f0de398fb8e4719749054e3494a\"><span data-custom-style=\"Hyperlink\">(67)<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<table style=\"width: 85%;\" data-custom-style=\"Table\">\n<colgroup>\n<col style=\"width: 8%;\" \/>\n<col style=\"width: 64%;\" \/>\n<col style=\"width: 11%;\" \/> <\/colgroup>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th><\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: center;\">[latex]\\frac{\\partial^{2}h}{{\\partial r}^{2}} + \\frac{1}{r}\\frac{\\partial h}{\\partial r} = \\frac{S}{T}\\frac{\\partial h}{\\partial t}[\/latex]<\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: right;\"><span id=\"Xafad882aa995ec34e12960e39b7fcbc6f69a778\" class=\"anchor\">(66)<\/span><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">[latex]\\frac{\\partial^{2}h}{{\\partial r}^{2}} + \\frac{1}{r}\\frac{\\partial h}{\\partial r} + \\frac{w}{T} = \\frac{S}{T}\\frac{\\partial h}{\\partial t}[\/latex]<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: right;\"><span id=\"Xe958ae242668f0de398fb8e4719749054e3494a\" class=\"anchor\">(67)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<div data-custom-style=\"Body Text\">\n<p>Equation\u00a0<a href=\"#Xe958ae242668f0de398fb8e4719749054e3494a\"><span data-custom-style=\"Hyperlink\">(67)<\/span><\/a> is a differential equation that describes radial horizontal flow to a well based on a polar coordinate system. Since it is a differential equation, it requires some complex mathematical operations\u2014like Fourier transforms, Bessel functions, and Laplace transforms\u2014to solve. Fortunately for us, these solutions have already been done, and all you need at this point is some understanding of what they mean and how they are used.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"menu_order":22,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-1165","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":1486,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/books.gw-project.org\/basic-hydrogeology-an-introduction-to-the-fundamentals-of-groundwater-science\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1165","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/books.gw-project.org\/basic-hydrogeology-an-introduction-to-the-fundamentals-of-groundwater-science\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/books.gw-project.org\/basic-hydrogeology-an-introduction-to-the-fundamentals-of-groundwater-science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/books.gw-project.org\/basic-hydrogeology-an-introduction-to-the-fundamentals-of-groundwater-science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/books.gw-project.org\/basic-hydrogeology-an-introduction-to-the-fundamentals-of-groundwater-science\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1165\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2419,"href":"https:\/\/books.gw-project.org\/basic-hydrogeology-an-introduction-to-the-fundamentals-of-groundwater-science\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1165\/revisions\/2419"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/books.gw-project.org\/basic-hydrogeology-an-introduction-to-the-fundamentals-of-groundwater-science\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/1486"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/books.gw-project.org\/basic-hydrogeology-an-introduction-to-the-fundamentals-of-groundwater-science\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1165\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/books.gw-project.org\/basic-hydrogeology-an-introduction-to-the-fundamentals-of-groundwater-science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1165"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/books.gw-project.org\/basic-hydrogeology-an-introduction-to-the-fundamentals-of-groundwater-science\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=1165"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/books.gw-project.org\/basic-hydrogeology-an-introduction-to-the-fundamentals-of-groundwater-science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=1165"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/books.gw-project.org\/basic-hydrogeology-an-introduction-to-the-fundamentals-of-groundwater-science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=1165"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}