Solution to Exercise 7

7) Storage in confined aquifers relies on squeezing water in and out of the saturated skeleton. Explain the effects on the effective stress and pore water pressure when water is pumped into a confined aquifer and the water level in tightly cased wells penetrating the aquifer rises 1 m.

The increase in head during the injection of water in a confined aquifer causes an increase in pore water pressure that results in a slight lifting/separation of the grains comprising the aquifer skeleton thus decreasing the stress between grains and slightly increasing the porosity.

Return to Exercise 7

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Hydrogeologic Properties of Earth Materials and Principles of Groundwater Flow Copyright © 2020 by The Authors. All Rights Reserved.