Parameter estimation during dewatering in a shallow aquifer in Dubai, UAE

Coastal cities in the UAE lie on a flat terrain created by tidal inundation and with super-saline groundwater within a few metres of the ground surface. Construction requires almost always dewatering in order to allow activities to proceed in dry conditions. Due to the tidal environment, the proper conceptual and numerical model for dewatering that applies to coastal UAE locations is transient, radial flow to pumping wells in an unconfined aquifer. This work utilises two numerical codes to study flow conditions at a Dubai site. The value of the radial hydraulic conductivity was found to be consistent with the site’s geologic description and falls in the middle of the range of values for the observed horizontal hydraulic conductivities. The vertical hydraulic conductivity was representative of a silty-type material and was consistent with the value estimated through packer tests approximately in the middle of the saturated thickness.