P - I - E - T - RO = dS/dt

p di

39 Moisture over land l a n 385 Precipitation on ocean

61 Evaporation from land Snow melt Surface runoff Precipitation

424 Evaporation from ocean

Infiltration Groundwater Recharge

Wat er

t ab l e
38 Surface discharge 1 Groundwater discharge

Groundwater flow Impervious strata

The Hydrologic Cycle

Atmosphere Evaporation Precipitation Water on Surface Evaporation Overland Flow

Channel Flow Evapotranspiration

Reservoir

Ground Water

Ground Water Flow Ocean

The Hydrologic Cycle

Estimates of groundwater storage, annual recharge and

abstraction from aquifers in Sudan

Major aquifer Groundwater storage M m3 Nubian sandstone Um Gezira Alluvial 1,000 875 660 Rawaba/ 60,000 1100 250 503,000 Annual recharge M m3 2000 Annual abstraction M m3 900

Total

564,000

3,975

1,810

Terminology

In groundwater hydrology, several terms are used

to indicate groundwater situations

Terminology is hereafter explained in the context of

groundwater management

What is groundwater?

Groundwater is water that is stored in a

porous media (soil/sand/gravel) under the soil surface

Saturated / Unsaturated zone

The porous media can be fully filled with water,

called the saturated zone

The porous media can be partially filled with water,

and partially with air, called the unsaturated zone

Groundwater management usually only considers

the saturated zone

UNDERGROUND WATER

Misconception
Saturated zone is not the same as an

underground lake

A groundwater reservoir contains

more than only water !

Solid sand or gravel particle Water

Misconception (2)

Groundwater is completely different from

surface water NOT TRUE

Groundwater is part of the water cycle,

the same water as surface water !

Aquifer
Aquifer is the reservoir of porous media

(usually sand, gravel, limestone)

Aquitard is the name for a confining layer. A

confining layer restricts water flow (usually clay or bedrock)

Confined and unconfined aquifers

HYDROGEOLOGICAL UNITS

Unconfined Aquifers
GW occurring in aquifers: water fills partly an
aquifer: upper surface free to rise and decline: UNCONFINED or water-table aquifer: unsaturated or vadose zone

Near surface material not saturated Water table: at zero gage pressure: separates
saturated and unsaturated zones: free surface rise of water in a well

Confined Aquifer

An aquifer can be confined, semi-confined or unconfined

Confined: Groundwater is between two restricting

layers
Unconfined: Top of the groundwater is not confined

by a restrictive layer
Semi-confined: Groundwater has semi-restrictive

layer

Wells
Observation well
To measure the level of the water table

Piezometer
To measure the level of the piezometric or

phreatic level Pumping well

To extract water from the groundwater to the

surface (a pump needs energy to lift the water)

The causes of groundwater pollution are numerous and are as diverse as the activities of man

Porosity
Ratio of openings (voids) to the total volume of a soil
n = (Vt-Vs)/Vt = Vv/Vt
Vt= total volume of the soil or rock

Vs=volume of solids in the sample

Vv= volume of openings (voids)

Expressed as percentage

SPECIFIC YIELD AND RETENTION

n=Sy+Sr Sy=Vd/Vt Sr=Vr/Vt n=porosity Sy=specific yield Sr=specific retention Vd=volume of water that drains from a total volume of Vt., Vr is the volume of water retained in a total volume of Vt Vt=total volume of a soil or rock sample

Specific Yield and Retention

Porosity: maximum amount of water that a rock can
contain when saturated.

Portion of the GW: draining under influence of gravity:

SPECIFIC YIELD

Portion of the GW: retained as a film on rock surfaces and

in very small openings: SPECIFIC RETENTION

Functions of Groundwater Systems

Hydraulically: 1) stores water to extent of porosity.,
2)transmits water from recharge areas to discharge areas: Reservoir and conduit

Water from recharge areasguided by hydraulic

gradients and conductivity to discharge areas

GROUNDWATER VELOCITY

Time reqd by groundwater to move from recharge to discharge areas

Few days (zones adjacent to discharge) to millennia (central part of some recharge through deeper GWsystems.

Contamination Transport Modelling in Khartoum State

Sewage network covers only about 5% of the state. In residential areas and some industrial areas on site sanitation system is used Septic tank and disposal well tapping the unconfined

aquifer