On the prediction of groundwater mound formation due to transient recharge from a rectangular area

Recharge to the aquifer leads to the growth of a groundwater mound. Therefore, for the proper management of an aquifer system, an accurate prediction of the spatio-temporal variation of the water table is very essential. In this paper, a problem of groundwater mound formation in response to a transient recharge from a rectangular area is investigated. An approximate analytical solution has been developed to predict the transient evolution of the water table. Application of the solution and its sensitivity to the variation of the recharge rate have been illustrated with the help of a numerical example.Notations a = Kh/e L²/T] - A = aquifer's extent in the x-direction L] - B = aquifer's extent in the y-direction L] - e = effective porosity - h = variable water table height L] - h ₀= initial water table height L] - h = weighted mean of the depth of saturation L] - K = hydraulic conductivity L] - m, n = integers - P = constant rate of recharge L/T] - P ₁+P₀= initial rate of transient recharge L/T] - P ₁= final rate of transient recharge L/T] - s = h ²–h ₀ ² L²] - t = time of observation T] - x,y = space coordinates - x ₂–x₁= length of recharge area in x-direction L] - y ₂–y₁= width of recharge area in y-direction L] - z = decay constant T^-1]