Point dilution tests to calculate groundwater velocity: an example in a porous aquifer in NE Italy

ABSTRACT The point dilution test is a single-well technique for estimating horizontal flow velocity in the aquifer surrounding a well. The test is conducted by introducing a tracer into a well section and monitoring its decreasing concentration over time. When using a salt tracer, the method is easy and inexpensive. Traditionally, the horizontal Darcy velocity is calculated as a function of the rate of dilution and is based on the simple assumption that the decreasing tracer concentration is proportional both to the apparent velocity into the test section and to the Darcy velocity in the aquifer. In this article, an alternative approach to analyse the results of point dilution tests is proposed and verified using data acquired at a test site in the middle Venetian plain, northeast Italy. In this approach, the one-dimensional equilibrium advection–dispersion equation is inverted using the CXTFIT model to estimate the apparent velocity inside the test section. Analysis of the field data obtained by the two approaches shows good agreement between the methods and suggests that it is possible to use the equilibrium advection–dispersion equation to estimate apparent velocity over a wide range of velocities.