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  The Development of Unconsolidated Sedimentary Aquifers (UNSAs)
 

R Number:  R5561
Contractor:  British Geological Survey - Hydrogeology Group
Dates:         1 April 1993 to 30 September 1997
To review existing knowledge of the nature of Unconsolidated (Non-Indurated) Sedimentary Aquifer (UNSAs) deposits worldwide. To review practices concerning their development, operation and maintenance. To prepare a manual, summarising the results of the reviews as well as latest thoughts, to provide guidance for the development of UNSAs in developing countries worldwide.



Executive Summary
Objectives

  • Purpose:
    To collate and review the state of knowledge and practices of all aspects of development of this major and important aquifer class. Produce and disseminate a manual describing the nature of the aquifers and methods of best practice for aquifer development and management.

  • Outputs:
    1. A series of reviews describing all aspects of the nature, development and resource management of UNSAs (these were also provided in CD ROM form)
    2. A manual summarising the nature of UNSAs.
    3. Options for improved practices in areas requiring additional study
  • Methodology

    A series of 11 reviews were produced describing all aspects of work associated with the nature, development and management of UNSAs. These reviews and a volume describing the classification and distribution of UNSAs are Output 1 of the project.

    The reviews were combined and presented in interactive form on a single CD as a complete user-friendly manual describing best practices of development and management of UNSAs, as part of Output 1.

    Counterpart agencies in the developing world were identified and experimental work carried out with their assistance in Vietnam and Pakistan. The results of these and the review documents were to be presented at a central venue in East Asia where the UNSAs Hypertext CD manual was to be demonstrated. Aspects of UNSAs of concern to the proposed international participants were to be discussed. These formed Output 3.

    Results

    A series of 11 detailed, well illustrated and wide ranging draft reviews incorporating the latest ideas on the nature, development and management of UNSAs, with a volume describing the classification and distribution of UNSAs, were prepared in draft form during the first year and finalised during years 2 and 3. These reviews are listed below.

    The contents of each review were digitised and reformatted into an interactive form using a hypertext system. This enabled cross-referencing between the 11 reviews that were stored on a single CD for ease of presentation and use, although it highlighted issues of copyright and IPR that remain problematic.

    Two areas of special study were identified:

    1. The Pleistocene age unconsolidated sedimentary aquifers of the Red River Delta of Vietnam were investigated with the Geological Survey of Vietnam. These systems are an important source of water to rural areas for domestic and irrigation purposes, as well as the main source of water for urban areas such as Hanoi and Haiphong.

    2. The interaction of borehole design with aquifer sediment composition, variability and hydraulic parameters was studied to investigate possible causes of borehole deterioration and failure in Pleistocene sediments in Pakistan. Data which were supplied by counterparts in Pakistan from a series of 100 tubewells located in three areas of the Punjab around Lahore were used to demonstrate possible causes of failure due to the movement of fine matrix material through coarse-grained sediment frameworks within mixed sediment aquifers.

    The results of these studies and the review documents were presented at a 3 day international workshop was held at Tsindao Ocean University, China 26-28th March 1996. The BGS/UNSAs Hypertext CD manual was demonstrated to participants from China, Vietnam, Mongolia, South Korea and Bangladesh, who were also able to present and discuss case histories of UNSAs development issues. A compendium of papers is being prepared by CIGIS (Comprehensive Institute of Geotechnical Investigation and Surveying) for publication. Each delegate received bound copies of the key documents together with the reviews, in digital form, on a CD.

    Conclusions

    A manual has been produced that describes all aspects of UNSAs. This manual consists of: a library of reviews of existing knowledge in key subject areas that include technical methods used by hydrogeologists, and characterisations of groundwater development in UNSAs. These volumes together with an illustrated practical guide to the sedimentology of UNSAS and reports of specific studies have been designed to increase communication and understanding between all disciplines involved in the development of UNSAs

    Further Information
    List of Publications

    Bloomfield, J , 1994. Unconsolidated sedimentary aquifers: Review No 5 - The use of laboratory techniques in the characterisation of unconsolidated sedimentary aquifer physical properties. British Geological Survey Technical Report No. WC/94/62

    Buckley, D K, 1994. Unconsolidated sedimentary aquifers: Review No 3 - Geophysical logging in boreholes. British Geological Survey Technical Report No. WC/94/45

    Chilton, P J , Stewart, M E , Edmunds, W M , Jones, H K et al , 1996. Unconsolidated sedimentary aquifers: Review No 12 - Groundwater quality management in unconsolidated sedimentary aquifers. British Geological Survey Technical Report No. WC/96/39

    Cullen, R J , Parsons, S B and Calow, R , 1996 Unconsolidated sedimentary aquifers: Review No 9 - Irrigation. British Geological Survey Technical Report No. WC/96/9

    Darling, W G ,1995. Unconsolidated sedimentary aquifers: Review No 8 - Isotope hydrology. British Geological Survey Technical Report No. WC/95/74

    Davies, J , 1994. Unconsolidated sedimentary aquifers: Review No 4. Abstraction methods, borehole drilling and completion . British Geological Survey Technical Report No. WC/94/47

    Davies, J , Herbert, R and Hussain, M S , 1996. Unconsolidated sedimentary aquifers: Special Study No. 1 - Study of causes of borehole deterioration, Pakistan . British Geological Survey Technical Report No. WC/96/8

    Herbert, R , 1994. Unconsolidated sedimentary aquifers: Review No 1 - Design of boreholes. British Geological Survey Technical Report No. WC/94/27

    Howsam, P , 1994. Unconsolidated sedimentary aquifers: Review No 2 - Performance maintenance. British Geological Survey Technical Report No. WC/94/44

    Marsh, S and Greenbaum, D , 1995. Unconsolidated sedimentary aquifers: Review No 7 - Remote sensing methods. British Geological Survey Technical Report No. WC/95/71

    Mathers, S J and Zalasiewicz, J A , 1993. The Sedimentology of Non-Indurated Sedimentary Aquifers - NISA's. British Geological Survey Technical Report No. WC/93/32

    Mathers, S , Davies, J , McDonald, A , Zalasiewicz, J and Marsh, S , 1996. The Red River Delta of Vietnam: A demonstration of the applicability of sedimentology to the investigation of unconsolidated sedimentary aquifers. British Geological Survey Technical Report No. WC/96/2

    Peart, R J , 1996. Unconsolidated sedimentary aquifers: Review No 10 - Applications of surface and airborne geophysics. British Geological Survey Technical Report No. WC/96/10

    Robins, N S , 1995. Unconsolidated sedimentary aquifers: Review No 6 - Groundwater management in unconsolidated sedimentary aquifers. British Geological Survey Technical Report No. WC/95/67

    Follow-up Activities

    Copies of the manual in CD form and the illustrated practical guide to the sedimentology of UNSAS have been circulated widely world-wide in response to requests received following articles in:

  • BGS/ODA Earthworks - issue 7, March 1995 - A guide to the sedimentology of unconsolidated alluvial aquifers (UNSAs)
  • ODA Earthworks - issue 1, 1995 - A guide to the sedimentology of unconsolidated alluvial aquifers (UNSAs)
  • ODA Water - issue 2 Spring 1996 - Groundwater development in Unconsolidated Sedimentary Aquifers, UNSAs
  • Contact Details for Further Information
    John Chilton
    Hydrogeology Group
    British Geological Survey
    Maclean Building
    Crowmarsh Gifford
    Wallingford
    Oxon. OX10 8BB

    Tel: +44 1491 838800
    Fax: +44 1491 692345