Effect of anisotropy and groundwater system geometry on seepage through lakebeds. 2. Numerical simulation analysis

The interaction of lakes and groundwater is controlled partly by the geologic framework through which the water flows. Two interrelated geometric factors of the groundwater system that affect flow are overall geometry of the system, and anisotropy of the porous media within the system. Numerical simulation analysis was made for variations in the coefficient of anisotropy for each of several lake and groundwater settings having different geometric configurations. These analyses indicate that, for a given geometric setting, as the anisotropy of geologic materials decreases seepage from a lake decreases and depth of the local groundwater flow system associated with the lake increases. Transformation of scale of groundwater systems that have anisotropic media to isotropic equivalents results in a change in the overall geometry. Because of the different slopes of the water table and lakebed resulting from the scale transformations, a series of numerical experiments were made for various geometric configurations for a given anisotropy. These analyses indicate that as thickness of the groundwater system decreases, relative depth of the local flow system increases and seepage from the lake decreases.