A user interface for the Kansas Geological Survey slug test model.

The Kansas Geological Survey (KGS) developed a semianalytical solution for slug tests that incorporates the effects of partial penetration, anisotropy, and the presence of variable conductivity well skins. The solution can simulate either confined or unconfined conditions. The original model, written in FORTRAN, has a text-based interface with rigid input requirements and limited output options. We re-created the main routine for the KGS model as a Visual Basic macro that runs in most versions of Microsoft Excel and built a simple-to-use Excel spreadsheet interface that automatically displays the graphical results of the test. A comparison of the output from the original FORTRAN code to that of the new Excel spreadsheet version for three cases produced identical results.

Reducing capture zone uncertainty with a systematic sensitivity analysis.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has established several methods to delineate wellhead protection areas (WHPAs) around community wells in order to protect them from surface contamination sources. Delineating a WHPA often requires defining the capture zone for a well. Generally, analytical models or arbitrary setback zones have been used to define the capture zone in areas where little is known about the distribution of hydraulic head, hydraulic conductivity, or recharge. Numerical modeling, however, even in areas of sparse data, offers distinct advantages over the more simplified analytical models or arbitrary setback zones. The systematic approach discussed here calibrates a numerical flow model to regional topography and then applies a matrix of plausible recharge to hydraulic conductivity ratios (R/K) to investigate the impact on the size and shape of the capture zone. This approach does not attempt to determine the uncertainty of the model but instead yields several possible capture zones, the composite of which is likely to contain the actual capture zone. A WHPA based on this composite capture zone will protect ground water resources better than one based on any individual capture zone. An application of the method to three communities illustrates development of the R/K matrix and demonstrates that the method is particularly well suited for determining capture zones in alluvial aquifers.