| Abstract: | Aquifer systems in tropical hard rock catchments generally comprise a sequence of three layers — an upper layer of weathered material (regolith), an intermediate zone of semi-weathered material and a basal zone of fresh, but often fractured, rocks. There is evidence that all three are hydraulically connected and for the purpose of this paper the three zones are referred to as ‘regolith-fractures aquifer’ (RFA). Field evidence is presented which shows that the bulk of the drawdown in boreholes in RFA systems is generally incurred during the early period of pumping — usually within 200 minutes of pump start-up. Well losses are an important part of this early drawdown and a judicious management of the pumping scheme during the early period could result in a reduction in the drawdown. One way of managing the pumping scheme is through phased pumping, whereby a desired total discharge (Q) is imposed in incremental steps (Q1, Q2, …, Q) during the early period of pumping (generally the first 200 to 300 minutes). This paper presents field data which shows reductions in drawdons arising from phased pumping during the early period. |
