CEE 4124-Hydrogeology

RLF
Reference Books
Applied Hydrogeology by
C.W. Fetter, Jr.
Part 1. General background

 Definition
 Relation with other sciences
 Applications of hydrogeology
 Historical background of the science
 Early history of groundwater use
 Definition of Terms

“Groundwater hydrology may be defined as the

science of the occurrence, distribution, and
movement of water below the surface of the
earth. Geohydrology has an identical
connotation and hydrogeology differs only by its
greater emphasis on geology.” (Todd and Mays,
2005)
 Definition
Hydrogeology
 The study of the occurrence and movement of
subterranean waters (Mead, 1919)
Meinzer (1923) used the term geohydrology
to describe the same physical process
 The study of the occurrence, movement and
chemistry of groundwater in its geological
environment
 Groundwater
Groundwater is water occupying all the voids within a geologic
stratum (saturated zone). The zone where the voids are occupied by
water and air is called the unsaturated, or zone of aeration. Water
contained in saturated zones is important for engineering works,
geologic studies, and water supply developments.

Water in the unsaturated zone, because this includes soil moisture

within the root zone, is a major concern of agriculture, botany, and
soil science.
 Relation with other sciences

geology water
mathematics engineering

hydraulic
engineering

physics Hydrogeology
drainage
engineering

environmental
chemistry engineering
hydrology
 The application of
hydrogeology
Water engineering
 Hydrogeological assessments are needed in the
design and development of water supply
especially in ground water sources
 The increase in water demand, both in
developing and developed countries, has
prompted a more extensive and efficient use of
groundwater resources
 The application of
hydrogeology

Hydraulic engineering
 Water-associated works designed by
hydraulic and civil engineers include
diversion weirs in rivers, dams, dikes and
embankments along rivers, road supports
and building foundations
The application of hydrogeology

Drainage Engineering
Hydrogeological
assessments are
vital in order to
devise effective
and efficient
schemes to irrigate
and/or drain
agricultural lands
and dewater mines
 The application of
hydrogeology
Environmental engineering
 Two major causes for environmental concern
related to groundwater resources:
The concern for the decline in groundwater
tables and depletion of resources as a result
of water engineering activities
The concern for a deterioration in
groundwater quality caused by human
activity
Historical background of the science

 The ancient Greeks and

Romans thought that
groundwater comes from
a cavern which was
connected to the ocean
 These caverns are filled
with water from the sea
by the action of the
waves
 The salts are filtered away
by the underground
movement of the
seawater
Historical background of the science

 The French scientists Perrault

and Mariotte were the first to
explain the phenomena of
springs and discharges in rivers
 Perrault suggested that
precipitation on the Seine
catchment in France, accounts
for the discharge of the Seine
River
 Marriotte conducted infiltration
experiments in the catchment
and discharge measurements
in the river; he found out that
indeed precipitation infiltrate
into the ground
 In the 19th century, the French
water engineer Darcy
formulated his formula to
compute the ‘flow rate’ of
groundwater in porous rocks
Historical background of the
science
 From the 19th century, modern trends in the science of
hydrogeology concern
 Development of flow formulas and modelling
 Introduction of flow systems analysis
 Focus on hydrochemistry and ground water
contamination
Early history of groundwater use

 Construction of well were

first carried out in the
ancient civilizations of
China, the Middle East
and Egypt
 The scarcity of water in
these areas led to the
construction of these
wells
 Some of the wells reach
depths of over 100 m,
even with the use of
primitive tools
 Qanats

Groundwater development dates from ancient

times. Other than dug wells, groundwater in ancient
times was supplied from horizontal wells known as
qanats. A section along a qanat is shown in Figure .
1ypicall y, a gently sloping tunnel dug through
alluvial material leads water by gravity flow from
beneath the water table at its upper end to a
ground surface outlet and irrigation canal at its
lower end. Vertical shafts dug at closely spaced
intervals provide access to the tunnel. Qanats are
laboriously hand constructed by skilled workers
employing techniques that date back 3,000 years.
 Qanats

Iran possesses the greatest concentration

of qanats; here some 22,000 qanats supply
75 percent of all water used in the country.
Lengths of qanats extend up to 30 km, but
most are less than 5 km. The depth of the
qanat mother well is normally less than 50
m, but instances of depths exceeding 250
m have been reported.
About Persian Qanat, visit the page
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1506/
Section along a qanat
Mother well
Access wells

qanat

Water table
Saturated zone
Recent developments

 The success and popularity of well

construction since the 12th century
paved the way and stimulated the
development of drilling techniques
 This in turn guaranteed the availability
and reliability of domestic and
irrigation supply from groundwater
sources
 Rotary drilling technique was an
important breakthrough of the 19th
century
 The 20th century brought more
development to well construction
with the introduction and
development of more efficient drilling
methods and geophysical well
logging techniques
Thank you very much…