Les interactions entre la nappe phréatique peu profonde et les réseaux d’assainissement sont en général très complexes. Dans le but d’étudier l’impact des variations du niveau de la nappe phréatique sur les dégradations des conduites, un modèle hydrogéologique numérique tridimensionnel (3D) de la nappe phréatique ayant un aquifère multicouche au sein d’une zone de 83 km2 de l’agglomération bordelaise (Mérignac, Pessac, Talence) a été développé, calibré et validé. Pour ce faire, un modèle conceptuel de cet aquifère multicouche a dans un premier temps été défini sur la base des descriptions lithostratigraphiques des forages. Puis un travail géostatistique a été entrepris pour construire les limites des formations géologiques et les cartes piézométriques issues de campagnes de mesures de hauteurs d’eau de la nappe phréatique. Nous avons par la suite développé une méthodologie originale de transformation de l’information lithologique au droit des sondages en perméabilités, puis en champs de perméabilités en utilisant des méthodes géostatistiques. Dans un second temps, les conditions hydrogéologiques ont été simulées en utilisant le logiciel Visual Modflow ©. Les paramètres hydrogéologiques ont été calibrés manuellement et automatiquement sur la base des niveaux d’eau mesurés lors des campagnes de juillet 2010, octobre 2010 et mars 2011. La validation du modèle qui s’est effectuée en simulant les cotes piézométriques au pas mi-décadaire allant de juin 1993 à mai 2012 montre que les chroniques piézométriques observées sur les 35 piézomètres du domaine étudié sont correctement restituées et la dynamique de la nappe phréatique est reproduite. Dans un dernier temps, les distributions spatiales et temporelles des cotes piézométriques simulées ont permis d’identifier les zones d’ennoiement des réseaux d’assainissements en comparant les cotes piézométriques aux cotes des réseaux. Ces zones d’ennoiement ont été comparées aux principaux secteurs de casses de canalisations. Les secteurs de casses de canalisations sont localisés dans les zones à faible probabilité d’ennoiement des conduites. L’environnement naturel hydrogéologique pris comme paramètre isolé ne constitue donc pas un facteur explicatif au phénomène de casses des canalisations. / The interactions between shallow groundwater and sewer network are generally complex. The aim of this research is to study the impact of the water table level variation on the damages of the buried pipes. For this purpose, a three-dimensional (3D) numerical groundwater flow model of the shallow multi-aquifer of the Bordeaux urban area, within a 83 km2 area (Mérignac, Pessac, Talence), is developed, calibrated and validated. In order to do this, in a first step, a conceptual model was built based on stratigraphic descriptions of the boreholes. A geostastistical study was carried out to build the limits of the geological layers and the piezometrical maps from the measurement campaigns of water table levels. Then, an original methodology to transform the description of lithological units to local hydraulic conductivity values is proposed and the reconstruction of hydraulic conductivity fields at the urban scale was performed based on geostatistical methods. In a second step, hydrogeological conditions were simulated using the finite-difference groundwater flow model MODFLOW-2005 (Visual Modflow ©). The hydrogeological parameters were then calibrated manually and automatically based on water table elevation data measured in July 2010, October 2010 and March 2010. The model validation covered 6890 days, from June 1993 to may 2012. The results showed that the simulated heads are quite accurate and reproduce the main dynamics of the system at 35 piezometers. The spatial and temporal distribution of the heads of the piezometers simulated permitted to identify the flooding zones of the sewer network by comparing the piezometric head with the altitude of the networks. The sectors where the pipes are damaged were localized in the zone wherein there is low probability of flooding. Additionally, the natural hydrologic environment, taken as a sole factor, cannot explain the pipe breakage phenomena.

La vallée de la Punaru’u est le second bassin versant, par sa taille, de la Polynésie française. Abritant la plusgrande zone industrielle du Pays, la vallée de la Punaru’u est emblématique des impacts de l’anthropisation sur le milieu naturel. L’exploitation de sa ressource en eau est au centre des préoccupations des industriels et des collectivités locales. L’objectif du projet était de mieux définir et de mieux comprendre les transferts d’eau dans le sol sous la zone industrielle et d’estimer l’impact des activités humaines sur la ressource en eau. En s’appuyant sur la définition des caractéristiques hydrodynamiques du sol une première partie du travail s’est concentrée à faire le lien avec les propriétés texturales et structurales du sol. Cette approche physique et analytique a permis d’ouvrir la voie à un protocole d’acquisition de données novateur basé sur les propriétés texturales du sol. Ce résultat a l’avantage de résoudre les problèmes d’échelle et de s’affranchir d’une dépendance aux conditions initiales et limites qui habituellement handicape l’interprétation des mesures des paramètres hydrodynamiques du sol.Une seconde phase de travail s’est concentrée sur l’analyse statistique des données hydrologiques. Il en résulte un schéma rénové des dynamiques hydrologiques et hydrogéologiques dans la basse vallée de la Punaru’u. D’un point de vue quantitatif, la ressource en eau s’épuise beaucoup plus en surface et dans les premiers mètres du sol que dans les aquifères plus profonds.L’approche analytique et l’interprétation hydrogéologique ont permis finalement de paramétrer une modélisation du sous-sol de la zone industrielle basée sur le solver ModFlow. / Punaru'u’s valley is the second watershed by size of French Polynesia. The valley hosts the most important industrial area of the country. The area is becoming an emblematic area because of urbanization impacts on natural environment. Exploitation of water resources is a central preoccupation.The aim of the present study is to analyze and to understand the surface and soil water transfer processes allowing for quantifying its vulnerability to the impact of human activities. Using a theoretical methodology especially developed for the characterization of hydrodynamic soil characteristics, the first part of this work is focused on the relation between textural and structural soil properties. Physical and analytical concepts are used to find a way to open a new data provision strategy based on the knowledge of measurable textural soil properties. The approach provides an original solution for tackling the important scale problem that affects most integrated modeling schemes used to describe hydrological flow processes at watershed scale. Second part of this work is focused on the statistical analysis of the hydrological field data. The results give a new insight in the hydrological and hydrogeological flow processes of the lower part of the Punaru'u valley. A quantitative interpretation shows how soil water resources are affect by human activities. The three alluvial aquifers situated in the first 40 m from the soil surface are all connected. The analytical approach and the hydrogeological interpretation allow for setting up a modeling scheme based on the “ModFlow” solver; the model is able to reproduce the hydrological flow processes of the lower part of thePunaru’u valley.

Grundvatten finns över allt i marken och vid byggnation under markytan är det därför viktigt att tagrundvattnets påverkan i beaktning för att inte skada miljö eller närområde. Hur en lokalgrundvattenstörning sprids i närområdet är normalt svårbedömt, och modelleringsverktyg har blivit ett vanligt verktyg för att undersöka flöden och potentiell påverkan på grundvatten. I detta arbete utvecklasen grundvattenmodell i ModelMuse med Modflow 6 för att undersöka påverkansområdet för en planeradbyggnation som kräver en grundvattensänkning, i Veddesta, Järfälla kommun. Arbetet syftar även tillatt bedöma de olika parametrar som krävs för modelleringen och hur de kan mätas eller uppskattas. Inför modelleringen undersöktes akviferens egenskaper med slugtester och ett kort pumpningstestoch tidigare undersökningar användes för att skapa modellens lagerföljd. Modellen använde tre lager,som generellt från ytan representerade lera, friktionsjord (morän) samt ett berglager, där domänenbestämdes utifrån ett avgränsat avrinningsområde. Modellen kalibrerades manuellt mot observationer i flera grundvattenrör kring byggnationsområdet.För övriga delar av modellen gjordes endast en grov värdering av grundvattennivåerna, där vissa oklaranivåer kvarstod under vidare modellering. Den avsänkning som modelleras uppgår som mest till 3,3 m,medan grundvattenobservationer visar att avsänkningen endast bör uppgå till 1,8 m vid samma punkt.Denna avsänkning resulterar i en omfattande och kraftig påverkan över ett stort område, men denmodellerade påverkan är troligen överdriven då den ursprungliga grundvattensänkningen haröverskattats. Den modellerade grundvattenpåverkan riskera att skapa sättningar och skada byggnader inom ettstort område, men dess effekter kan kraftigt minskas om avsänkningen görs inom en vattentät spont. En enklare känslighetsanalys över parametrarna som använts visar att akvifertjockleken har stor påverkanpå det beräknade utloppet för att upprätthålla avsänkningen, men relationen till påverkansområdetsstorlek är mindre tydligt. Andra betydande osäkerheter finns inom den modelleradegrundvattenbildningen samt det avrinningsområde som användes som rand. Detta arbete visar på hur de mest kritiska parametrarna för grundvatten kan bestämmas eller väljasoch hur de påverkar resultatet. Arbetet belyser också riskerna med felaktiga värden, som trots att de kananses rimliga utifrån teorin inte är lämpliga vid modellering i tätbebyggda områden. Stora avvikelserfrån de initiala värden upptäcktes för grundvattenbildning och problem relaterade tillavrinningsområdet, som upptäcktes under modellens kalibrering. / Groundwater is found everywhere in the ground and when building below ground level, the groundwatermust be considered. Failure to do so may result in damage the environment by reducing wateravailability for vegetation, nearby structures through reduced ground stability or endanger drinkingwater resources. Groundwater is difficult to assess as it can only be directly observed throughobservation wells, and digital modelling tools have become a common tool for investigating flows andpotential impacts on groundwater. In this work, a groundwater model is being developed in ModelMusewith Modflow 6 to investigate the effective influence area for a planned construction in Veddesta,Järfälla municipality in Sweden. During this construction, the groundwater levels will be loweredtemporarily to enable excavation and construction below the natural groundwater level The work alsoaims to assess the various parameters required for the modelling and how they can be retrieved. Prior to the modelling, the properties of the aquifer, which is where the main groundwater transportoccurs, were examined with slug tests and a short pumping test. Data from previous investigations wereused to create the model's stratigraphy. The model used three layers, which generally represented clay,granular soil (till) and a thin rock layer and the model’s boundary was set based on an estimatedcatchment area.    The model was manually calibrated against observations in several groundwater pipes around theconstruction area. For other parts of the model, only a rough assessment was made of the groundwaterlevels, where areas of unclear pressure heads remained throughout the modelling. The modelledlowering of the groundwater amounts to 3.3 m, while groundwater observations show that the expectedlowering should be 1.8 m. The modelled displacement results in a widespread and significant impact,but the modelled impact is probably excessive as the initial lowering of the groundwater is larger thanwhat would be necessary during the construction. The modelled displacement of groundwater risks creating subsidence which will likely damagebuildings within a large area. The impact can be greatly reduced if the lowering of groundwater is donewithin a waterproof sheet pile, which enables dewatering within the excavation without effecting thesurroundings. A simple sensitivity analysis of the parameters used in the modelling shows that theaquifer thickness has a large impact on the calculated outlet across the model boundary, which representsthe required pumping to maintain the reduced groundwater level. The relation to the size of the effectiveinfluence area is less clear. Other significant uncertainties exist within the modelled groundwaterrecharge and the catchment area that was used as the model’s boundary. This work has shown how the most significant parameters for groundwater modelling can bedetermined or selected and how they affect the result. The work also highlights the risks of incorrectvalues, which, although they can be considered reasonable based on theory may not be suitable formodelling groundwater within built up area. Notable deviations from the initial values were rechargerate and issues related to the model domain, which were discovered during the calibration process.

The aim of the research is to assess the sustainability of groundwater supply and the suitability of hand-drilling techniques for accessing groundwater for irrigation practices along the shallow alluvial floodplains of River Benue, NE Nigeria. Hand-drilling techniques are affordable means for the farmers to abstract water from these shallow aquifers. Determining the most sustainable hand-drilling techniques (taking into account the hydrology and sedimentology of the floodplain) will improve farming activities and food security in this region and the country at large. Hydrological data (obtained from fieldwork and modelling) demonstrate that the River Benue is the main source for recharge of the shallow alluvial aquifers of the floodplain during the dry season period. Water table heights were estimated by resistivity survey using ABEM Terrameter equipment and measured by automatic piezometer instruments. Floodplain sedimentology and hydrogeology were assessed at seventeen natural riverbank outcrops and twelve hand-drilled boreholes. At each location, sediment samples were collected from every exposed sedimentological unit. Locations and elevations were measured using a ProMark3 dual frequency GPS instrument, to create a detailed topographic map with updated contours. Twenty-four electrical resistivity sounding profiles and twelve-groundwater measurement were also obtained to explore the groundwater level of the floodplain. The resistivity results confirm the availability of water in the alluvial aquifers of the floodplain. In order to determine the most appropriate hand drilling techniques, a Field Shear Vane Tester was used to measure sediment shear strength at twelve different borehole locations. Shear strength forces were higher on clayey silt and sandy silt, and lower on sand formations. It appeared that in some areas of the floodplain, the farmers are already above the shear strengths that can be provided by human power. Hence, any increase of the hardness of the surface of the sediment would make low-cost hand drilling impractical. Particle size analysis for the sediment samples showed that the samples were largely sandy in nature, which enables easy movement of water through the layers for aquifer recharge. Magnetic susceptibility (used to classify the source of sediment and the process of their formation) revealed that the main source of the sedimentary materials was upstream of the study site and varies little over time. The groundwater level of the study area decreased away from River Benue valley during the dry season period. One perched aquifer formations and possibly two others were observed in three different locations, which reflects a low-permeability stratigraphic unit (such as lens of clayey silt) within alluvial sands. These should be avoided by farmers, as they are likely to provide water only in the short-term. Finally, groundwater modelling was undertaken (with various scenarios) for the River Benue floodplain using acquired sedimentology and hydrology data integrated into MODFLOW software. The results revealed that low-cost hand-drilling techniques such as augering and jetting remain possible for abstracting the shallow alluvial aquifers on the floodplain for irrigation farming in the study area, unless the most likely low river water stages in River Benue, over-exploitation of the shallow alluvial floodplain groundwater and drought scenarios occur.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are a group of man-made organic chemicals that have been commercially used since the 1950s in many consumer products, including impregnated textiles, impregnated paper, nonstick products (e.g., Teflon), cleaning agents, and in firefighting foams. However, PFASs have in recent years received increasing public attention due to their persistence, bioaccumulative potential, and potentially toxic effects on humans and animals. Firefighting training sites have been identified as one of the most important sources for the spread of PFASs in the environment, due to the use of PFAS-containing firefighting foam of type AFFFs (aqueous film forming foams). This has resulted in contamination of both drinking water and groundwater in several municipalities in Sweden. At the former fire station in Åkersberga, AFFFs were handled and used during the fire-training exercises. WSP Environmental Sweden has performed a preliminary investigation on site and elevated levels of PFASs in both soil and groundwater were observed. Since the property is located next to a railroad track, there is a concern that PFASs will spread through the railroad track towards the nearby Åkers canal. The aim of this master’s thesis has therefore been to map the transport of PFASs in groundwater from this former fire station. A groundwater flow model was first constructed in the software program Visual MODFLOW. The groundwater model was then used as a basis for the construction of a transport model with MODPATH and MT3DMS. The transport of four PFAS homologues was modeled; perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), 6:2 Fluorotelomer sulfonate (6:2 FTS), and perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA). The result of the groundwater modelling showed that groundwater from the property flows towards the southwest and then further towards Åkers canal. The approximated velocity of a water molecule varied between 270 m/year and 400 m/year. The transport modelling showed that all four PFAS homologues traveled towards Åkers canal via the railroad track and that the short-chain PFAS homologues (6:2 FTS and PFPeA) traveled longer and faster than the long-chain PFAS homologues (PFOS and PFOA). The approximated velocity of the contaminant plume for the concentration 4.5 ·10−5 mg/L was 0.6 m/year for PFOS, 3 m/year for PFOA, 8 m/year for 6:2 FTS, and 16 m/year for PFPeA. / Per- och polyfluorerade alkylsubstanser (PFAS) är en grupp av konstgjorda organiska kemikalier som sedan 1950-talet har kommersiellt använts i många konsumentprodukter, inklusive impregnerade textilier, impregnerat papper, nonstick-produkter (t.ex. Teflon), rengöringsmedel och brandsläckningsskum. PFAS har dock under senare år fått ökad allmän uppmärksamhet på grund av deras persistens, bioackumuleringspotential och potentiella toxiska effekter på människor och djur. Brandövningsplatser har identifierats som en av de största källorna för spridningen av PFAS i miljön, på grund av användningen av PFAS-innehållande brandsläckningsskum av typen AFFF (aqueous film forming foams). Detta har resulterat i förorening av både dricksvatten och grundvatten i flera kommuner i Sverige. På den tidigare brandstationen i Åkersberga har hantering och användning av AFFF ägt rum under släckningsövningarna. WSP Environmental Sverige har utfört förundersökning på plats och förhöjda halter PFAS i både jord och grundvatten observerades. Då fastigheten gränsar mot en banvall, finns det en oro att PFAS ska sprida via banvallen mot den närliggande Åkers kanalen. Syftet med detta examensarbete har därför varit att kartlägga transporten av PFAS i grundvatten från denna tidigare brandstation. En grundvattenflödesmodell konstruerades först i programvaran Visual MODFLOW. Grundvattenmodellen användes sedan som grund för konstruktionen av en transportmodell med MODPATH och MT3DMS. Transporten av fyra PFAS-homologer modellerades; perfluoroktansulfonat (PFOS), perfluorooktansyra (PFOA), 6:2 fluortelomersulfonat (6: 2 FTS) och perfluorpentansyra (PFPeA). Resultatet av grundvattenmodelleringen visade att grundvatten från fastigheten strömmar mot sydväst och sedan vidare mot Åkers kanal. Den approximerade hastigheten hos en vattenmolekyl varierade mellan 270 m/år och 400 m/år. Transportmodelleringen visade att alla fyra PFAS-homologerna spred mot Åkers kanal via banvallen och att de kortkedjiga PFAS-homologerna (6:2 FTS och PFPeA) spred längre och snabbare än de långkedjiga PFAS-homologerna (PFOS och PFOA). Ungefärlig hastighet av föroreningsplymen för koncentration 4.5 ·10−5 mg/L var 0,6 m/år för PFOS, 3 m/år för PFOA, 8 m/år för 6: 2 FTS och 16 m/år för PFPeA.

The purpose of this study is to assess the dewatering requirements of planned open pit nickel mining at &Ccedil / aldag Site in Western Turkey. Dewatering is required for safe and efficient working conditions and pit wall stability. With this scope, a groundwater model of the study area is developed and used to predict the dewatering rate. The methodology mainly involves data collection, site hydrogeologic characterization and development of conceptual model, followed by construction and use of a groundwater model to predict the dewatering requirements of the mine site. The groundwater flow modeling is carried out using MODFLOW software and the dewatering simulations are carried out using MODFLOW Drain package. The drain cell configuration is determined by pit boundaries and invert elevations of drains corresponded to the bench elevations that will be achieved with respect to the mining schedule. In the transient model runs, monthly time steps were used. Using the outflow from in-pit drain cells, the v monthly dewatering rates are calculated. In order to assess the impacts of the hydraulic conductivity of the laterite on the pit inflow rates, simulations were carried out for different values of hydraulic conductivity of laterites. The predicted flow rate using the calibrated model is 107.54 L/s. A tenfold reduction in the hydraulic conductivity of laterite resulted in three fourths of decrease in the flow rate (24.42 L/s). Consequently, a wide range of flow rates for different hydraulic conductivity values of laterite was calculated. In order to confirm the hydraulic conductivity of laterites in the area, and to obtain a realistic dewatering rate, further pumping tests are needed.

Ground-water conductivity data were obtained from shallow wells in a 12 km2 stream-basin along a 400 m transect, extending from the divide to the stream. The stream, Pringle Branch, is a second-order perennial stream in Hillsborough County, Florida. The shallow stratigraphy consists of 2-3 m of fine sand over a layer of clayey silt and silty clay. Vegetation cover includes grasses on the upper and middle slope, and riparian woodlands on the foot slope and floodplain. Precipitation is about 1.3 m per year. Shallow ground-water conductivity is about 50 uS/cm at the divide. It increases moderately along the mid slope, then increases markedly within the riparian woodlands, reaching a maximum of about 500 uS/cm at 30m from the stream and then decreases to about 150 uS/cm at the stream. The spatial variation of terrain electrical conductivity data collected using electromagnetic methods (EM 31) is similar to the spatial variation of ground-water conductivity.Dry season through wet season monitoring shows that ground-water conductivity in each well varies about 40%, generally following variations in potential evapotranspiration (ETpan). The more than five-fold increase in ground-water conductivity from divide to riparian woodlands is maintained during both dry and wet seasons. The ground-water conductivity in this basin appears to be determined principally by spatial variations in ET and not by temporal variations in ET or interaction with soil minerals. The data suggest that patterns of ground-water conductivity can be used to infer patterns of ET variation within a small basin. A mass transport model constructed to test the hypothesis that evapotranspiration has the dominant effect on ground-water conductivity closely duplicates the observed variation in ground-water conductivity from divide to stream. The model uses two evaporation rates, 0.73 m/y for the grasses and 1.46 m/y for the riparian woodlands, and no contribution from solution of matrix materials.

As an effort to gain a better understanding of the processes that enable and sustain coal bed methanogenesis in the western Powder River Basin, a steady-state groundwater flow model using MODFLOW 2005 was constructed. The model covers the middle Tongue River Watershed of north-central Wyoming and southeastern Montana and is comprised of five heterogeneous layers. The model is designed to determine the location of recharge and quantify the volume and velocity of groundwater fluxes to, from and within methanogenic coal beds. Analysis of the model's results indicate a groundwater regime dominated by horizontal flow, with little hydrologic connection between the methanogenic coal beds and the near-surface aquifers and streams. The model predicts only 3.88 cubic feet per seconds (cfs) or 2.17 percent of the total steady state flux within the modeled domain percolates downward to potentially reach the methanogenic coal beds. Most of this downward flux is predicted to occur at the base of the Bighorn Mountains. Additionally, the model predicts that the transit time to and resultant groundwater age within the methanogenic coal beds in the study area is on the order of thousands of years (predicted minimum age of 8,967 years).

This paper presents modifications to two widely used numerical groundwater flow models in an effort to improve upon the interaction between a well of finite length and conductivity with the surrounding formation. The first objective is to discard the common assumptions about flux- or head-based boundary conditions along the well screen by coupling pipe flow hydraulics and groundwater flow. The second objective is to avoid restricting the wellbore hydraulics to a single flow regime. Five flow regimes (laminar through rough-turbulent), based on Reynolds number and pipe roughness, are considered. The modifications are integrated into the highly versatile, well-documented and well-tested models HydroGeoSphere (finite-element/finite-difference) and USGS MODFLOW (finite-difference). Verification of the algorithm and code and is performed by comparing results to: 1) the idealized, analytical Theis solution; 2) the original, unmodified code; and 3) the results of a third party numerical solution that also accounts for variable frictional wellbore losses. Results highlight the inadequacy of either a uniform flux or a uniform head assumption along the wellbore. The solution also tends to produce much steeper hydraulic gradients in those portions of the aquifer nearest the pump intake than have previously been predicted. Systems most affected by in-well hydraulic losses include those for which well screen is long, pumping rate is large, pipe diameter is small, pipe roughness is large (either through design or aging) and aquifer conductivity is high. Improved modeling of the non-linear hydraulic conditions within the well screen can particularly influence the interpretation of wellbore flowmeter and tracer tests, leading to more precise knowledge of the variation of local aquifer hydraulic conductivity along well screens. Aquifer drawdown curves, solute transport and inflow velocities will also be influenced, which can impact capture zones and remediation costs. Given that the solution is incorporated within the HydroGeoSphere and MODFLOW models, it presents the additional advantage over existing approaches of offering a wide range of modeling capabilities, such as three-dimensional flow, arbitrary well inclination and surface-subsurface flow integration. / Thesis (Master, Civil Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2008-01-04 17:27:50.629

In this study underground dams are briefly described and detailed information about the design and construction aspects is provided. Since the material, of which dam wall is composed, is the main variable influencing the groundwater behavior, various types of dam wall are discussed. The use and usefulness of the underground dams as a means of sustainable development, and their performance in the management of groundwater resources are analyzed with the help of two example studies. In the first example a hypothetical idealized aquifer is considered, while in the second one, a real aquifer is selected. For the performance evaluation, and for the analysis of the impact of the underground dams on the groundwater behavior, numerical simulation is opted. For that purpose, a well-known computer code, MODFLOW, A Modular Three-Dimensional Finite Difference Groundwater Flow Model of U.S. Geological Survey, (McDonald and Harbaugh, 1988) is used.