Storage Coefficients and Vertical Hydraulic Conductivities in Aquitards Using Extensometer and Hydrograph Data

Abstract

Abstract A method is presented to estimate elastic and inelastic specific storage and vertical hydraulic conductivities in aquitards in multilayered flow systems. Borehole extensometer records and ground‐water hydrographs from piezometers are used to construct plots of effective stress and deformation. Elastic and inelastic specific storage are estimated from the plots of effective stress and deformation during loading and unloading cycles. The elapsed loading time is estimated from the same plots and is used to calculate vertical hydraulic conductivity using Terzaghi's consolidation theory. The method is applied to three sites in Houston, Texas.