Groundwater flow dynamic investigation without drilling boreholes

Abstract

The flow net map is a basic tool for groundwater flow dynamics investigation. In areas where there are no boreholes or piezometers are not available, constructing flow net map may be difficult. This work proposes a simple methodology to construct flow net map without drilling boreholes. The flow net map constructed using the proposed approach represents an expected flow net map, which can draw conceptual flow model of the site. The major benefit from constructing the expected flow net map is it gives guidance for locating new boreholes for site investigation, carrying out investigation of the groundwater flow directions and estimating recharge/discharge from the site boundary. An illustrative example for the proposed approach was presented to show how the data required to construct the expected flow net map can be collected. The constructed, expected flow net map using the proposed methodology was compared with actual flow net map constructed from measured water levels. Both maps give consistent hydrological information about the site. The suggested approach represents a simple and cheap way to carry out investigation of groundwater flow dynamics in areas where there are no boreholes are available.