Three-dimensional steady flow towards a fully penetrating well of radius rw, in a confined aquifer, is studied by means of a finite-volume numerical scheme. The hydraulic conductivity K is modeled as an axi-symmetric, stationary random space function mimicking hydraulic property variations at the local scale. We develop a new methodology for the identification of the geostatistical model of variability from a steady-state pumping test involving a few wells. A constant water discharge is extracted from each well in sequence while measuring the steady-state drawdown at the remaining wells. To show its potential, the new methodology is applied to the data set obtained from a synthetic example. We conclude that the new methodology may serve as a simple tool to assess the three-dimensional statistical structure of hydraulic conductivity at the local scale.
Equivalent conductivity, Heterogeneous aquifer, Pumping test
