New method reveals hidden groundwater storage, revolutionizing resource management.
Groundwater management requires understanding aquifer storage. Aquitards can store water but are often overlooked. A new method uses pumping tests in leaky aquifers to estimate aquitard storage. The study presents an analytical solution for constant-rate pumping tests in leaky aquifers, considering water released from aquitard storage. The method was applied to a sandy aquifer with a clay and sand aquitard, showing accurate calculation of aquitard storage properties.