Factors affecting cost optimisation of groundwater development schemes for river regulation

Further development of water resources in many areas of the United Kingdom will be concerned with inter alia the exploitation of major aquifers in conjunction with contiguous rivers. In such developments the location of boreholes in the aquifer and the manner in which they are operated can have considerable influence on the economics of the scheme, and can affect decisions as to its viability when compared with other alternatives. In this study a method of well field cost optimisation is proposed which is particularly suitable for aquifers with relatively low transmissivity and high storage coefficient. The Triassic Sandstone in the Vale of York exhibits these properties and has been used to illustrate the method.