A Geospatial Study of Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity Point Estimates Calculated with a New and Simple Method of Hand-Dug Well Recovery Analysis

A new and simple method of estimating saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) of unconfined aquifers using recovery data of large-diameter wells was applied to over 400 hand-dug wells in the Secano of Chile, Region VI. The method employs an empirical solution fitted to recovery data from slug-tests simulated with a two-dimensional, radially symmetric, groundwater transport model. Unlike previous methods of its type, this method accounts for the variably-saturated zone around the well, which is shown to be a significant factor in the case of a large-diameter, shallow well. A geostatistical analysis of the field estimates of Ks, was conducted to determine spatial trends. Also, relationships between Ks and other data on soil, geology and vegetation were examined. This information was used to create a regional map of Ks, something which to date has not existed for the area of study.