Hydraulic characterization of a karst aquifer in an urban environment focusing on pumping tests

Quantitatively defining the characteristics of groundwater flow in karst aquifers is still a difficult challenge, which requires the application of different methods and approaches, of which hydraulic tests are just one. Computer based acquisition of field data and the development of advanced evaluation methods have led to huge improvements in hydraulic testing and interpretation. However, although the so called diagnostic plot is particularly suited to gain detailed information of involved karst subsystems, these improvements have been scarcely reflected in the analysis of pumping tests in karst aquifers up to now. Against this background a systematic analysis of pumping tests from the Upper Muschelkalk in the urban area of Stuttgart was performed considering the 1st derivative of pressure with respect to time. The insights gained demonstrate the power of the diagnostic plot especially when interpreting pumping well data from karst aquifers.