Transmissivity of Aquifer by Capture Zone Method: An Application in the Sete Lagoas Karst Aquifer, MG, Brazil

Transmissivity is an important hydraulic parameter to determine the amount of water passed horizontally across a given saturated thickness of an aquifer. The techniques to quantify this parameter, such as grain size analyses or pumping tests, can have limitations of time/spatial scale, viability, or economically. One technique that can be used, but little adopted, is the capture zone analysis. In this paper, capture zone analytical equations were used to estimate transmissivity values in order to verify the effectiveness of this methodology as alternative in situations where other traditional methods present implementation difficulties. The results were compared with field data estimated by aquifer tests conducted in the same region. A sensitivity analysis was also performed to identify possible discrepancies between the analytical and field data results. The aquifer studied was the Sete Lagoas Karst Aquifer in the urban region of the municipality of Sete Lagoas, Brazil. The method proved to be a viable and economical tool, where the analytical values compared to the aquifer tests showed similarities, being confirmed by a sensitivity analysis. However, a reliable potentiometric surface map, which enables the identification of the parameters for analytical capture zone equations, is needed.