Groundwater Mound Beneath Circular Recharge Area

by Glenn M. Duffield, President, HydroSOLVE, Inc.

Hantush (1967) presented the following equations for predicting the maximum height of the water table beneath a circular recharge area:

hm2 - hi2 = (V/2pK)[w(u0) + (1-exp(-u0))/u0]    (1)

V = wpR2    (2)

u0 = R2/4nt    (3)

n = Kb/e    (4)

b = 0.5[hi(0) + h(t)]    (5)

where hm is maximum height of mound above aquifer base (i.e., maximum saturated thickness of aquifer beneath recharge area); hi is initial height of water table above aquifer base (i.e, initial saturated thickness of aquifer); K and e are hydraulic conductivity and storativity (specific yield) of aquifer, respectively; w(u) is Theis well function for nonleaky aquifers; w is constant rate of percolation from circular recharge area of radius R; and b is a constant of linearization. The aquifer is unconfined and assumed to have infinite extent.

Equation (1) is nonlinear owing to the definition of b in Equation (5); however, the solution is readily obtained using successive approximation.

Groundwater Mounding Calculator
for Circular Recharge Area
 
Hydraulic Conductivity (K) = [L/T]
Specific Yield (e) = [dimensionless]
Initial Saturated Thickness (hi) = [L]
Radius of Recharge Area (R) = [L]
Recharge Rate (w) = [L/T]
Time (t) = [T]
   

Use consistent units for the above input parameters.
For example, enter K in m/day and t in days to compute hm in m.
 

 

Hantush mounding calculations with contouring now available in AQTESOLV.

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