Date of Graduation

Fall 2010

Degree

Master of Science in Geospatial Sciences

Department

Geography, Geology, and Planning

Committee Chair

Charles Rovey II

Abstract

The hydraulic properties of the Ozark aquifer and its upper confining unit were measured as part of the site characterization for the City Utilities Shallow Carbon Sequestration Demonstration Project. The goal was to delineate the cone of depression/capture zone (of any upward leaking CO2) produced by three onsite production wells above the CO2 injection zone and to model future changes in this cone due to increased pumpage in nearby municipal wells. A three month cessation of pumping in two of the three production wells allowed a unique opportunity to measure the aquifer response to the decreased pumping. Aquifer tests yielded limiting transmissivity values of 0.017 to 0.053 ft2/sec. with a median value of 0.029 ft2/sec. and a storativity value centered around 3 x 10-4. Digital model simulations of the steady potentiometric surface closely match measured levels with a calibrated transmissivity of 0.030 ft2/sec and a vertical hydraulic conductivity within the confining unit of 3 x 10-11 ft/sec. Thus, these calibrated values are very consistent with measured values and the calibrated model should provide reasonable estimates of the future capture zone under various pumping scenarios.

Keywords

groundwater, carbon sequestration, Ozark aquifer, groundwater modeling, potentiometric surface, cone of depression

Subject Categories

Hydrology | Water Resource Management

Copyright

© Bradley Austin Mitchell

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