MASINDE MULIRO UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN CIVIL AND STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING

CSE 354: HYDROLOGY

TUTORIAL 1: GROUNDWATER

Question 1
Estimate the discharge through a Sand media with a hydraulic conductivity of 0.424 cm/sec,
hydraulic gradient of 0.01 and area of flow of 66cm. In three (3 years) time, how far would this
water have moved assuming a porosity of 0.01514? [4
Marks]

Question 2
(a) A confined aquifer has a total thickness of 40 m and is fully penetrated by a 25 cm diameter
pumping well with a discharge of 3.5m3/sec. The original piezometric head of the aquifer
is 98m. Two observation wells located at 150 m and 180m has respectively 19.5 m and 17.5
m drawdown. Assuming radius of Influence (R) to be 300m, estimate the aquifers
transmisivity (T) and the drawdown at the pumping well (Sw). [5 marks]

(b) The piezometric surface of a confined aquifer is 1.5m below the water table of an overlaying
unconfined aquifer. The two aquifers are separated by an aquitard of 0.5m thickness. The
water table in the unconfined aquifer is 20 m above the top of the aquitard and is in
equilibrium with the downward flow due to infiltration. The hydraulic conductivity for the
unconfined aquifer is 0.8 m/day and for the aquitard is 0.1 m/day. What is the flow rate
from the unconfined to the confined aquifer through the aquitard?

Question 3

A 50 cm well tapping an unconfined aquifer and having an initial saturated thickness of 19 m is

pumped at a rate of 60 l/min until a steady state cone of depression is established. The
drawdowns measured at two wells situated at a distance of 35m and 60m from the pumped
well are found to be 3 m and 2.5m. Determine

i. The hydraulic conductivity of the aquifer

ii. The drawdown of the pumping well