Global warming, as well as contamination of surface and ground water are currently the main factors that make the search for alternative sources of drinking water extremely pressing. The majority of aquifers commonly exploited for drinking water supply are contained in sedimentary deposits. Utilization of groundwater in fractured crystalline waterbearing rocks may be an alternative source of drinking water. However, experience in effective use of fractured rocks aquifer for water supply is very poor due to the lack of data on the crystalline rocks fracturing and, accordingly, their water-bearing capacity. Improving the effectiveness of using such geological environments is a very challenging task, yet possible with artificial recharge of crystalline rocks aquifers. Computation modeling is a widespread and proven way to study groundwater behavior in sedimentary deposits, unlike in fractured crystalline rocks. The present study focuses on the groundwater flow model to consider the method of improving the productivity of water intake wells in fractured crystalline rocks aquifer through artificially increase of the rocks’ fracturing. On the groundwater flow model for the Zhashkiv groundwater deposit, several scenarios with increase of the crystalline rocks fracturing were simulated and the effect on changing the well pumping rate was evaluated for one of the wells.
Groundwater flow into underground openings in fractured crystalline rocks: an interpretation based on long channels
