Estimation of hydraulic conductivity of Asaluyeh Aquifer using empirical equations based on particle size distribution

Hydraulic conductivity is the most important variable in groundwater flow equations that is applied in estimating water flow velocity, predicting pollutants transport, solving geotechnical problems, and determining groundwater resource management plans. In this research, an attempt has been made to estimate the amount of hydraulic conductivity in a part of Assaluyeh Aquifer using the empirical equations. For this purpose, the results of particle size distribution provided for 20 alluvial samples have been used. The values of hydraulic conductivity obtained from the empirical methods vary between 0.1 to 4.3 cm/day, which is in the range of common hydraulic conductivity of fine grained soil. Due to the significant amount of sand and gravel in the samples, it seems that the calculated hydraulic conductivity are somewhat less than its actual value. The results of this study show that according to the existing conditions and limitations for the use of each of empirical relations, the calculated hydraulic conductivity may cover a wide range of variations. Therefore, it is recommended to perform pumping test to verify the calculated hydraulic conductivity.