ABSTRACT
Two types of pumping tests are discussed: the multiple-well test and the packer test. The multiple-well pumping test involves an aquifer well pumped at a constant rate and the drawdown response measured in observation wells. The packer test is conducted in a borehole by sealing off a section of the borehole with one or, more commonly, two inflatable rubber packers and then pumping water into the isolated section of hole. The permeability of the rock adjacent to the isolated section of the borehole is measured as a function of the pumping head and rate of water loss from the sealed-off section. A much underestimated phase of an overall pumping test is the postpumping test. This involves the measurement of water levels during the recovery period which begins immediately after the pumping well has been shut down and continues until the aquifer once again has reached an equilibrium state.
