A method for the determination of the ratio of hydraulic conductivity to drainable porosity from the measurements of water table recession

Abstract

The proposed method is for determining the ratio of hydraulic conductivity, K, to drainable porosity, f, of soil for the purpose of design of subsurface drainage systems. Water table levels, during a recession, are measured in a row of observation holes aligned in the supposed direction of groundwater flow to derive values of K/f. This equation is subject to the initial condition as a function of distance and the boundary conditions as functions of time; it Is derived by the method of Fourier series. To use this equation, a computer program has been prepared. The proposed method is compared with other solutions of the equations of groundwater flow, and checked by the field conditions.