Effect of subsurface barrier on salt water intrusion

Abstract

The effect of subsurface barrier on the motion of the sea water - fresh water interface in coastal equifers is analysed for sudden drawdown conditions. A Galerkin finite element model is used for this purpose to carry out the parametric studies on the effect of location, width and hydraulic conductivity of the barrier. The results indicated marked variations in the interface profile as compared to no barrier condition. The width and hydraulic conductivity play a decisive role in delaying the interface response for any drawdown situations. Among the various barrier locations considered, the barrier at Lo was found to be most effective in checking the intrusion.