title: Calculating ground water transit time of horizontal flow through leaky aquifers.
abstract: The calculation of ground water transit times is one important factor in ground water protection. In this paper, we present an analytical solution for the transit time for a Dupuit-type flow system applicable to saturated flow through a horizontal leaky aquifer discharging to a downgradient fixed-head boundary under steady-state conditions. We investigate the influence of leakage when comparing the resulting travel times of our model based on head-dependent leakage with the commonly used model with no leakage and a simplified model with constant leakage. The results show significant differences in the position of the water divide and transit time, suggesting that leakage cannot be ignored.
authors.affiliation: Hamburg University of Technology, Institute of Water Resources and Water Supply, Schwarzenbergstrasse 95, 21073 Hamburg, Germany. hailer@tu-harburg.de
authors.forename: Angelika C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Braunsfurth
authors.forename: Wilfried
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Schneider
mesh_terms: D008962:Models, Theoretical; D010539:Permeability; D013995:Time; D014872:Water Movements; D014881:Water Supply