Flow & transport characteristics of groundwater in Karoo formations

Abstract

GROUNDWATER When cool drink is sucked with a straw from a soft plastic bottle the shape of the bottle can be influenced by the way you suck: suck gently and slowly and the cool drink flows out smoothly while the shape of the bottle stays basically the same. Suck hard and violently and the cool drink will flow faster but the shape of the bottle will start to contract and become distorted. Roughly, the same reaction occurs in a Karoo groundwater aquifer when water is pumped from a borehole. When the pumping rate, or discharge rate as scientists call it, exceeds a certain limit, the area in the aquifer where the water is sucked from becomes slightly “distorted” or deformed near the borehole. Depending on the force of the discharge rate and the manner in which the borehole is pumped, this deformation could permanently destroy a Karoo borehole, leading to the well-known cry: “My borehole has dried up!” which is often heard from people who depend on Karoo aquifers for their water supply.

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