Leaky aquifers

Nested wells can also be used to analyze multilayer aquifer flow. There are many situations involving interaquifer transport owing to leaky boundaries between the aquifers. The primary case of interest involves the vertical transport of fluid across a horizontal semipermeable boundary between two or more aquifers. Figure 4 sets out the details of this type of problem. Unit 1 is a phraetic aquifer, bound from below by two confined aquifers, having semipermeable formations at each interface. 

Obs. Walls = Well 1 Aquifer Model Leaky Solution... 

Semiconfined or leaky aquifers are similar to confined aquifers with the exception that the overlying and/or underlying units are not impermeable and some leakage... 

Romer RL, Heinrich W (1998) Transport of Pb and Sr in leaky aquifers of the Bufa del Diente contact metamorphic aureole, northeast Mexico. Contrib Mineral Petrol 131 155-170 Roselle GT (1997) Integrated petrologic, stable isotopic, and statistical study of fluid-flow in carbonates of the Ubehebe Peak contact aureole, Death Valley National Park, California. PhD Dissertation, University Wisconsin-Madison, 279 p... 

Hantush, M.S., Jacob, C.E. (1960). Flow to an eccentric well in a leaky circular aquifer. Journal of Geophysical Research 65(10) 3425-3431. 

Hantush, M. S. (1960). Modification of the theory of leaky aquifers. Journal of Geophysical Research 65(11) 3713-3725. 

An aquifer is described as unconfined when the water table is open to the atmosphere, that is, the aquifer is not overlain by material of lower permeability (Fig. 4.2a). Conversely, a confined aquifer is one that is overlain by impermeable rocks (Fig. 4.2a). Confined aquifers may have relatively small recharge areas as compared with unconfined aquifers and, therefore, may yield less water. A leaky aquifer is one which is overlain and/or underlain by aquitard(s) (Fig. 4.2b). 

Li, J. 2007a. Transient radial movement of a confined leaky aquifer due to variable well flow rate. J. Hydrology, V. 333, no. 2-4, p. 542 553. 

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