Optimization of Groundwater Well Discharge Capacity Using Step Drawdown Test Post-Earthquake in Biromaru, Sigi District, Central Sulawesi

Harly Hamad, Muhammad Aswadi, Cindy Ziqni Noviar Lapalani

Abstract


The effectiveness of groundwater wells in tectonically active regions remains insufficiently understood due to the lack of integrative hydrogeological evaluations. This study aims to characterize the hydraulic performance of five groundwater wells in Biromaru District, Sigi Regency, an area affected by the 2018 Central Sulawesi earthquake. A combination of the Neuman method and the Hantush-Bierschenk approach was employed to evaluate key aquifer parameters, including transmissivity, storativity, specific yield, and well loss coefficients. Step drawdown tests and time-drawdown data were analyzed to determine aquifer responses under controlled pumping conditions. The results show a clear variation in transmissivity and storativity among wells, indicating heterogeneous subsurface characteristics possibly influenced by post-seismic compaction. Wells 1 and 3 demonstrated high transmissivity and efficiency, supported by C values below 0.5, signifying well integrity and optimal construction. Conversely, well 2 exhibited low hydraulic performance, suggesting lithological constraints or structural deficiencies. The combination of analytical methods provided a robust framework for interpreting aquifer-well interactions in a post-disturbance setting. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of groundwater behavior in seismically disturbed regions and emphasizes the importance of incorporating multi-method approaches in hydrogeological assessments. The findings can serve as a reference for groundwater resource planning, well rehabilitation, and adaptive water management in vulnerable areas like Sigi Regency.

Keywords


Groundwater well; Step drawdown; Transmissivity; Well efficiency; Post-seismic aquifer

Full Text:

PDF

References


Ahmadi, A., Chitsazan, M., Mirzaei, Y., & Nadri, A. (2022). The effects of influence radius and drawdown cone on the areas related to the protection of water wells. Journal of Hydrology, 617, 129001. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2022.129001

Benaafi, M., Yassin, M. A., Usman, A., & Abba, S. I. (2022). Neurocomputing Modelling of Hydrochemical and Physical Properties of Groundwater Coupled with Spatial Clustering, GIS, and Statistical Techniques. Sustainability, 14(4), 2250. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14042250

Bostic, D., Méndez‐Barrientos, L., Pauloo, R., Dobbin, K., & MacClements, V. (2023). Thousands of domestic and public supply wells face failure despite groundwater sustainability reform in California’s Central Valley. Scientific Reports, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-41379-9

Dobbin, K., & Bostic, D. (2025). The environmental justice implications of retirement age assumptions in domestic well vulnerability analyses. Environmental Research Communications, 7(4), 041501. https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7620/adcde3

Hamad, H., & Tubagus, D.M. (2021). Studi Hidrogeologi Terhadap kapasitas Debit Air tanah Menggunakan Metode Pumping Test pada daerah Boromaru kabupaten Sigi. Jurnal Sains dan Teknologi Tadulako 7(2), 89-102. https://doi.org/10.22487/jstt.v7i2.365

Hamad, H., Botjing, M., & Supardi, N. (2023). Characteristics of unconfined aquifer based on pumping test on wells made by residents in the Biromaru area Sigi Regency. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 1157(1), 012054. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1157/1/012054

Illien, L. (2022). Seismic Velocity Recovery in the Subsurface: Transient Damage and Groundwater Drainage Following the 2015 Gorkha Earthquake, Nepal. Journal Of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 127(2). https://doi.org/10.1029/2021jb023402

Jenifer, M. A., & Jha, M. K. (2022). A Novel GIS-Based Modeling Approach for Evaluating Aquifer Susceptibility to Anthropogenic Contamination. Sustainability, 14(8), 4538. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14084538

Kim, H. J., Kohn, E., Koh, C.-S., & Park, W. B. (2023). Numerical Evaluation of Large-Scale Groundwater Extraction in Groundwater System at Wellfields in the Namwon Area of Jeju Island, South Korea. Water, 15(12), 2151. https://doi.org/10.3390/w15122151

Lasme, O., Koffi, A., Onétié, O., Diallo, L., & Ahondjo, X. (2023). Characterization of the productivity of basement aquifers at Bagoué Region (North of Côte d’Ivoire). International Journal of Hydrology, 7(2), 81–86. https://doi.org/10.15406/ijh.2023.07.00343

Li, Y., Zhou, Z., & Zhang, N. (2025). Regional‐scale effects of glacial till aquitard vertical heterogeneity on transient well flow and groundwater budget with variable discharge in leaky aquifer systems. Hydrological Processes, 39(5). https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.70147

Li, Z., Li, H., Xiao, X., Illman, W., Wang, R., & Zhang, Q. (2023). An analytical method to estimate groundwater depletion of an aquitard due to variable drawdowns in adjacent aquifers. Water Resources Research, 59(4). https://doi.org/10.1029/2023WR034503

Manewell, N., Doherty, J., & Hayes, P. (2024). Translating pumping test data into groundwater model parameters: A workflow to reveal aquifer heterogeneities and implications in regional model parameterization. Frontiers in Water, 5. https://doi.org/10.3389/frwa.2023.1334022

Marema, T., Molwalefhe, L., & Shemang, E. (2023). Characterisation of the hydrogeological properties of the Ntane Sandstone aquifer using co-seismic and post-seismic groundwater level responses to the Mw 6.5 Moiyabana earthquake, Central Botswana. Water, 15(10), 1947. https://doi.org/10.3390/w15101947

Méité, D., Chesnaux, R., Rafini, S., & Ferroud, A. (2023). Characterizing the radius of influence during pumping tests using the absolute critical drawdown criterion: Cases of integer flow dimensions. Journal of Hydrology, 618, 129096. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2023.-129096

Melo, R. H., Pambudi, M. R., & Niode, A. (2024). Socioeconomic status, lake knowledge, and community participation in the sustainable Lake Limboto management, Gorontalo Regency. Journal of Water and Land Development, 60, 177–182. https://doi.org/-10.24425/JWLD.2024.149119

Mohammed, M., Mohamed, A., Szabó, N., Alarifi, S., Abdelrady, A., Alao, J., & Szűcs, P. (2024). Investigation of petrophysical and hydrogeological parameters of the transboundary Nubian Aquifer System using geophysical methods. Frontiers in Earth Science, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2023.1295213

Molwalefhe, L., & Shemang, E. (2023). Characterisation of the Hydrogeological Properties of the Ntane Sandstone Aquifer Using Co-Seismic and Post-Seismic Groundwater Level Responses to the Mw 6.5 Moiyabana Earthquake, Central Botswana. Water, 15(10), 1947. https://doi.org/10.3390/w15101947

Paradis, C. J., Van Ee, N., Hoss, K., Meurer, C., Tigar, A. D., Reimus, P. W., & Johnson, R. H. (2022). Single‐Well Injection‐Drift Test to Estimate Groundwater Velocity. Ground Water, 60(4), 565–570. https://doi.org/10.1111/gwat.13184

Pech, P., & Asadi, M. (2022). INV-FLOW: New Possibilities to Evaluate the Technical Condition and Function of Extraction Wells. Water, 14(13), 2005. https://doi.org/10.3390/-w14132005

Shandilya, R. N., Bresciani, E., Kang, P. K., & Lee, S. (2022). Influence of hydrogeological and operational parameters on well pumping capacity. Journal of Hydrology, 608, 127643. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2022.127643

Xiong, H., Wang, Y., Guo, X., Han, J., Ma, C., & Zhang, X. (2022). Current status and future challenges of groundwater vulnerability assessment: a bibliometric analysis. Journal of Hydrology, 615, 128694. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2022.128694

Zhang, S., Shi, Z., Wang, G., Zhang, Z., & Guo, H. (2023). The origin of hydrological responses following earthquakes in a confined aquifer: insight from water level, flow rate, and temperature observations. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 27(2), 401–415. https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-401-2023




DOI: https://doi.org/10.37905/jgeosrev.v7i2.27807



Copyright (c) 2025 Harly Hamad, Muhammad Aswadi, Cindy Ziqni Noviar Lapalani

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.