Influence of fractured zone on seepage from a water body – A research report by National Institute of Hydrology

The present study is in continuance with the earlier investigations made regarding the seepage from a surface water body in a multilayered aquifer system, wherein the influence of varying dimensions of a fractured-zone in a aquitard on the seepage from a source had been investigated. The objective is to examine the influence of a fractured-zone in a confining aquitard on the seepage from a surface water body. The issues covered include the influence of –

• The location with respect to the source of a fracture in the aquitard
• The position of the fractured aquitard at various depths in the aquifer system on the seepage from the source

In other words, the effect of location or position of a fractured-zone within a multi-layered aquifer system on the seepage from the surface water body is being investigated. It may be noticed that groundwater flow in fractured systems may be modeled as equivalent continuum model, discrete fracture network model or dual porosity model.

However, the attempt here is not to model flow in a fractured medium where dual porosity is dominant. Instead, the opening in the flow barrier of the present hypothetical set-up is to allow hydraulic connection between the aquifer above and below the barrier.

Further, the opening is assumed to be filled with the porous aquifer material, which maintains continuity between the aquifers at the opening. Thus the flow occurring through the opening is guided by the Darcy’s law. Therefore, modeling such a system with a standard numerical groundwater flow model is considered to be appropriate.

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