Chapter - 3

Aquifer

3.1) Introduction:

An aquifer is a natural formation, which is capable to store and transmit groundwater.

Aquifer with effective porosity and good permeability show more economical and viable
for transmit and store water. But this type of aquifer only find as in ideal situation, which
is rarely possible to find in natural condition. Movement of groundwater through aquifer
depend upon it’s confining bed geological formation so following types can be derived
based on confining beds :

1) Aquiclude- Here confining beds show good porosity but no permeability. Eg.
Clay.
2) Aquifuge – Confining beds are lack of both porosity and permeability. Eg.
Granite.
3) Aquitard – Confining beds have porosity with poor permeability. Eg. Sandy
clay.

3.2) Types of aquifer:

The classification of aquifers is based on its geological and hydrological properties.

These are of four types, unconfined aquifer, confined aquifer, Leaky aquifer and Perched
aquifer.

3.2.1) Unconfined Aquifer:

This type of aquifer system is open on the ground surface and underlain by the confining
impervious layer, which shows eitheraquiclude or aquifuge properties. The atmospheric
pressure is in direct contact with water table of the aquifer through interconnected pores.
Hydrostatic pressure of unconfined aquifer by water table is directly coincides with the
top of the saturation zone. Aquifer recharge is done mainly through rainfall and local
water body such as river, pond, lake etc. The saturated thickness of aquifer varies
throughout the aquifer system.

Fig. 3.1 a schematic diagram of unconfined aquifer (after CGWB (1982), Kruesman& De
Ridder (1990) ).

3.2.2) Confined Aquifer:

In this type of aquifer system, the aquifer body is bounded by overlain and underlain
confining layer of impervious strata, which could be either aquiclude or aquifuge.
Because of bounding of aquifer system, the saturated thickness would be constant and the
top of saturation zone coincides with the aquifer. So there would be no direct contact of
hydrostatic pressure with the atmospheric pressure and also no direct recharge. The water
level here will be an imaginary surface, known as piezometric surface, which show
hydrostatic pressure and it always lies above the top of the confined aquifer.
Sometimes confined aquifer starts behaving like unconfined aquifer during over
exploitation, in which piezometric surface come down to the confining layer which starts
acting like water table.

Fig. 3.2.An ideal schematic diagram of confined (after CGWB (1982), Kruesman & De
Ridder (1990)).

3.2.3) Leaky confined aquifer:

This type of aquifer is also called semi confined aquifer. In which aquifer is bounded by
overlain and underlain layer and one of which show semi impervious and another one
show impervious material. Semi previous material is mostly an aquitard type.

Fig. 3.3.An ideal schematic diagram of confined (after CGWB (1982),Kruesman& De

Ridder (1990)).