Methods for Determining Specific Yield of Aquifer

Gunjiro SAKAI*

1. Introduction
The conception termed "Specific Yield" was advocated by Meinzer early, and was defined
as the quantities of water released from the column of aquifer, whose cross section was
1ft2, by an unit drop of ground-water level (in broad meaning), that is, of ift. The conception
has been applied to either condition of water table or of artesian. But hydrogeological
conditions of aquifers are different for both cases. Then it was redefined by Wenzel(1) later
and for the aquifer of artesian condition another conception termed "Coefficient of Stor-
age" was advocatde. That is, coefficient of storage was defined by Wenzel as the quanti-
ties of water cubic foot withdrawn from the column of aquifer, whose height is equivalent
to the thickness and cross section is lft2, by an unit pressure drop, in other word, by lft
of H20 column. Thus, the conception of "Specific Yield" is limited to apply to water table
condition. Taking the occasion, it may be suitable to refer that any units are used for
these conceptions, if those of discharge and ground-water level are unified with each
other, nothing to do with the unit defined by the advocates, because either of them are
dimensionless.
Specific yield is the same with the effective porosity of aquifer in priciple. To deter-
mine the specific yield, discharge of well concerning the aquifer is divided by the corres-
ponding drawdown in general. However, the computed value is not constant in many
cases. It may be attributed to the reason that the drawdown of phreatic level does not
agree with the descent of ground-water level outside of well. Under the water table con-
dition,there occurs a discontinuation between the phreatic level and the ground-water
level outside due to the so-called well loss and also hydraulic inevitability, and it is
expected to effect on the result of computation practically. Either way, so far as the
conception is used as a kind of scale to evaluate the capacity of aquifer concerning with
water table well, some method or prosedure must be devised to obtain a certain constant
value from the data of pumping test.

2. Review of the methods in the past

The methods using by the writer up to the present are roughly divided into three. They
shall explain together with problems contained.
i ) As is known, the relation between true velocity of ground-water v, and filtration
velocity of is expressed as below.

here p is the effective porosity of aquifer. To measure either vf or v, in the natural state
* Hirosaki University
is very difficult, so the following method is applied i general, wbich shall explain in
accordance with Fig. 1.
If the middle point between a and b on the
water table is denoted by 711,at which the satu-

ratipn thickness is Ii, the next equation is given.

py so-calleddyingmethod,true velocityof gr-

ound-water is measured, using two observation
wells at a and b. If the measured values are
denoted as via and Vib respectively, (Vta±Vtb) /2
may be assumed to be the true velocity at m.

At last we can obtain the next equation and p rrxay be computed.

This method contains a problem concerning the assumption for the gradient of ground-

yvater flow, and moerover, the so-called dying method is performed inaccurately in some
cases.

(ii) Although the Epsilon method is peculiar to tapped well, when observation wells
a and b are comparatively far from the pumping well and moreover, drops of phreatic
levels within them is very small compared with the saturation thickness, it is assumed
to 1:?eapplied to water table condition. The4 the permeability of aquifer k will be obtained
by the so-called Epsilon method. As is known, filtration velocity of water is expressed by
the next equation.
Vf=ki (4)
here i is the gradient of water flow and in this case it is computed from the height diff-
erence of phreatic levels at a and b, and then, it is assumed to be the one at rn. In this
method v, must, be measured by the so-called dying method. Hereupon, from Equs. (1')
and (4) the next equation is derived.

The method is more troublesome compared with (i), because of the additional procedure
to take place the survey of i and the so-called Epsilon method.
,Qii) This method is grounded on the relation between pumping discharge and the
volume of pumping depression. In the steady state of pumping, discharge must be equi-
valent to recharge. Therefore, this method becomes of nonsence in such case. To apply
the method for water table condition, the so-called influence circle must enlarge infinitely
as long as the pumping continues. In other word, the volume of pumping depression must
increase as a certain variable of pumping period. There have been two theories which
treated the enlargement of influence circle due to the pumping duration,' those are Nomi-
tsu's one(2) and Schultze's one.(3) while the latter expects to occur the steady state, that
is, it presupposes that discharge and recharge becomes equivalent when the area of intim-
ence circle enlarges to a certain size. Therfore, so far as the method concerns, only the
,

former must be taken in the argument. Nomitsu's Theory stands on a kind of non-equi-
librium one. It presumes the accuracy for observing water level as 1 mm which correspo-
nds to the drop at the boundary of influence circle. After some mathematical operations
the next equations are derived.'

here W(u) is well function, T transmissibility, R radius of influence circle, H saturation

thickness and t the instance when the drop is recognized at the observation well for the
first time, being expressed by the time of pumping duration until the instance . Substitu-
ting Equ. (8) into Equ. (7) the next equation is obtained.

By the data of pumping test, Equ. (6) may be computed, and then assuming T=kH , the
value of k is obtained too. On the other hand, the instance when pumping effect is
recognized for the first time is observed at a certain observation well distant r from the
pumping well. In this case r is equal to R as mentioned already. Thus, p may be compu-
ted by Equ. (9), keeping the pumping depression out of consideration . In this method, T
and K may de obtained by Jacob's s-t curve solution(4) and W (u) table must be used also ,
even though it is not correct to apply the solution for water table condition in principle .
But most troublesome procedure is the observation of phreatic level at observation well
for the instance when pumping effect may be recognized for the first
time . Therefore,
to avoid the misobservation, several number of observation wells must be prepared .

3. Graphical method
Lately Ramsahoye and Lang(5) studied this problem from the stand point of non-equili-
brium theory. They assumed that no recharge occured, notwithstanding the concerned
aquifer was of water table condition and unconfined . But fortunately the theoretical
formula given by them does not contain any factor or coefficient concerning the elasiti-
city of aquifer or compressibility of water within it. After some mathematical procedure ,
which is exepted here, the next equation was derived.

here s is the drop of phreatic level at the observation well distant r from the pumping
well, Y the specific yield and other symbols are the same as promiced already . The
straight line of the so-called s-t curve drawn on semi-logarismic section paper takes the
gradient of 2.3Q/ 4rT . The difference of s of one logarismic cycle is denoted by zis for the
straight line, that is, zis is equal to 23Q/ 47rT as mentioned above . But T can not apply to
water table condition strictspeaking. Although the relation T =kh may be assumed
, h
differs from another incompliance with the distance r from the pumping well and also s
necessarily. •

in the vicinity of Kearney, Nebr. by Equ.(10). But the graphical method mentioned above
is more easy in practical. Fig. 2 is an example of the graphical method for determining
specific yield, using the same data. The reason why two straight lines of s—t curves are
not parallel in the figure is due to the different values of T as mentioned already. Fig. a
shows an another example in which the straight line of s-t curve passes through the

point of t=1 and s'= 0 unexpectedly. This Kind of graphical method based upon the

argument of Ramsahoye and Lang was refered in a book of the writer(6) left as it is

incomplete, but now, he makes public that a reliable method was settled.

Postscript
Lacey(7) advocated a conception called by the term of "Vertical Specific Yield" early.
But the conception has nothing to do with the conception of "Specific Yield" and rather
seems to be a kind of „Specific Capacity" of water table well, though it is peculiar to
tapped well essentially. Thus, the term of vertical specific yield is confusable with that
of specific yield, and has been misunderstood one another. The former has a dimension
as [L32/(T], while the latter is dimensionless. The writer hopes the readers remember the
difference of these two Kinds of conception.

Résumé
A few methods for determining specific yield have been utilized nowadays in Japan.
They stand almost on the equilibrium theory and all of them are rather incomplete
theoretically.

•
 Lately Ramsahoye and Lang published a method from the stand point of the non-equi-
librium theory. But the mathematical treatment of many data obtained by pumping test is
very troublesome and moreover their consideration for so-called transmissibility is unsa-
tisfactory. Rectifying and modifying the method of Ramsahoye and Lang, the writer
clèvised a new graphical method. It is very ear and serves by simple procedure.

Reference
1. Wenzel, L. K. : Method for determining permeability of waterberig materials, U.S.G.S.,
Water-Supply Paper 887, 1942.
2. Nomitsu, T. : An advance of well theory -2- (japanese), Geophysics, Kyoto Univ.,
Vol. 7, No.1, 1943.
3. Schultze, J. : Die Grundwasserabsenkung in Theorie und Praxis, Berlin, 1928.
4. Jacob, C.E. : On the flow of water in an elastic artesian aquifer Trans. Amer. Geophys.
Union, Vol. 21, No.4, 1940.
5. Ramsahoye, L. E. and S.M.Lang : A simple method for determining specific yield, from
pumping test, U. S. G. S., Water-Supply Paper 1536-C, 1961.
6. Sakai, G. ; Applied Geohydrology (Japanese), Tokyo, 1967.
7. Lacéy, J. M. : Hydrology and Ground Water, Loncion, 1826.