Relief Well Evaluation: Three-Dimensional Modeling and Blanket Theory
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 147, Issue 8
Abstract
This study compares the differences in calculated relief well performance at the Profit Island vicinity levee (PIVL) near Baton Rouge, Louisiana, between the three-dimensional (3D) USGS MODFLOW-USG groundwater model and the blanket theory. The 3D hydrogeological model was built using indicator kriging with 192 boring logs and calibrated against measured well discharge rates and piezometric heads during the March to May 1997 flood event. The blanket theory indicates that the total heads at 19 relief wells were lower than the ground surface. However, relief well flow rates observed during the 1997 Mississippi River flood imply that the aquifer pressure was sufficient to overcome both the total hydraulic head equivalent to the ground surface and any frictional head losses. The discrepancy is mainly due to the complex geological setting, effects resulting from relief well installation, and the influence of adjacent relief wells that cause observations to diverge from blanket theory assumptions. The 3D MODFLOW model found that all 84 relief wells maintain a factor of safety (FS) above 1.5 during the peak flood stage in 1997 even though several relief wells produced negligible discharge rates. As a result, this case study indicates that 3D seepage modeling is an accountable and precise tool.
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Data Availability Statement
Data, models, and codes that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, Frank Tsai, upon request.
Acknowledgments
This research was funded by the USACE Mississippi Valley Division’s Mississippi River Geomorphology & Potamology Program, and the USACE New Orleans District Mississippi River and Tributaries Levee System (Contract No. W912P8-17-P-0054). The statements, findings, and conclusions are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the US Government or the USACE. The authors thank Dr. Sorab Panday for technical discussion on MODFLOW-USG.
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Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 147 • Issue 8 • August 2021
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© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Apr 10, 2020
Accepted: Mar 5, 2021
Published online: May 20, 2021
Published in print: Aug 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Oct 20, 2021
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