Specific yield and specific storage are essential parameters for groundwater management planning.  These storage properties can be determined using a number of methods, however they are typically interpreted from multi-well aquifer pump tests.  The interpretation of storage properties using pump tests can be strongly influenced and biased by small-scale hydrostratigraphic heterogeneities and boundary effects.  We investigate using high resolution geophysical data collected in boreholes to provide depth-continuous logs of storage properties within heterogeneous aquifers.  The advantage of using borehole geophysical data to interpret storage properties is that the estimates are unaffected by boundary conditions and small-scale heterogeneities around the borehole can be resolved and then incorporated in more advanced interpretations of pump tests, which sample away from the borehole wall.  This improved interpretation of storage properties ultimately leads to improved groundwater management planning and optimal well design, thus reducing economic risks associated with high cost production or aquifer storage and recovery wells.

 

Our interpretations of specific yield are based on measurements of effective porosity that are made using borehole nuclear magnetic resonance tools and our interpretations of specific storage are based on measurements of aquifer compressibility that are made using borehole dipole shear sonic tools.  With several case studies, we demonstrate how to interpret storage properties from these types of borehole geophysical data and show the benefits of incorporating the heterogeneity of storage properties in groundwater management planning.