PUMPING TESTS ON OPEN WELLS IN PALAR ALLUVIUM, NEAR MADRAS CITY, INDIA AN APPLICATION OF THE PAPADOPULOS-COOPER METHOD

Abstract

The non-equilibrium formula of Theis has hitherto been found to be inadequate to analyse drawdown data from open wells, due to the influence of effects of well-storage on early drawdown data. Recently, a reliable type-curve method was proposed by Papadopulos and Cooper to analyse drawdowns in wells of large diameter. In order to study its practical validity, the Papadopulos-Cooper method was applied to drawdown data from six open wells, tapping the alluvial sands of the river Palar, near Madras city, India. The study has indicated that the method has considerable practical utility in analysing drawdown data from large diameter open wells. Besides, the method also offers an easy way of computing the duration over which the effects of well-storage are likely to influence drawdown data, in terms of aquifer transmissibility and well-radius. If a rough idea of aquifer trans-missibility is available from existing data, then, such a computation, to determine the duration over which wellstorage affects drawdown, could be initially made to advantage, so that proper judgement could be exercised in using other conventional methods of analysis, such as that of Jacob or that of Theis. (Key Words: Pumping tests; Open wells; Papadopulos-Cooper method.)