GROUNDWATER-FLOW INTO NONPENETRATING WELL

Experiments to study the performance of a cavity well (nonpenetrating well) have been conducted in both the laboratory and the field. Labora tory tests were performed on a simulated sand-tank model that reproduc ed the flow into the well on a reduced scale. Field tests were conduct ed on observation wells, drilled and installed at the Shaldahari water shed in the Midnapore district of West Bengal, India. Results have bee n analyzed by the finite-element method, and a reasonably good agreeme nt with computed values has been indicated. Performance of a cavity we ll is found to be influenced by aquifer material properties and thickn ess of the confining layer. Studies have been made of leaky as well as nonleaky flow under steady and nonsteady conditions.