Unraveling the complexities of a highly heterogeneous aquifer under convergent radial flow conditions

Untangling flow and mass transport in aquifers is essential for effective water management and protection. However, understanding the mechanisms underlying such phenomena is challenging, particularly in highly heterogeneous natural aquifers. Past research has been limited by the lack of dense data series and experimental models that provide precise knowledge of such aquifer characteristics. To bridge this gap and advance our current understanding, we present the findings of a pioneering experimental investigation that characterizes a unique, strongly heterogeneous, laboratory-constructed phreatic aquifer at an intermediate scale under radial flow conditions. This strong heterogeneity was achieved by randomly distributing 2527 cells across 7 layers, each filled with one of 12 different soil mixtures, with their textural characteristics, porosity, and saturated hydraulic conductivity measured in the laboratory. We placed 37 fully penetrating piezometers radially at varying distances from the central pumping well, allowing for an extensive pumping test campaign to obtain saturated hydraulic conductivity values for each piezometer location and scaling laws along eight directions. Results reveal that the aquifer’s strong heterogeneity led to significant vertical and directional anisotropy in saturated hydraulic conductivity. Furthermore, we experimentally demonstrated for the first time that the porous medium tends toward homogeneity when transitioning from the scale of heterogeneity to the scale of investigation. These novel findings, obtained on a uniquely highly heterogeneous aquifer, contribute to the field and provide valuable insights for researchers studying flow and mass transport phenomena. The comprehensive dataset obtained will serve as a foundation for future research and as a tool to validate findings from previous studies on strongly heterogeneous aquifers.