Daniel S. Weber2 , Dennis G. Hall3, Todd K. Keay2,
Mark J. Thomasson2 , and Lyle A. Davis4
Abstract. Nested piezometers are commonly used in the geotechnical field for evaluating and monitoring pore-water pressures near earth embankments and dams. Installation methods usually comprise use of open stand pipes installed in boreholes with sand packs and bentonite to provide seals between vertical zones in the aquifer (Casagrande method). Using a fully-grouted nested piezometer method with vibrating wire pressure transducers has been gaining acceptance in the geotechnical industry for its cost-effectiveness and ease of implementation. Standard procedures being developed for the method have improved its reliability, and the method is now successfully being utilized by hydrogeologists to obtain saturated pore-water pressure data for diverse project applications. In addition to theory and practice of the fully-grouted piezometer method, we present data sets from fully-grouted nested piezometer installations that illustrate the utility of the method for deep aquifer characterization studies. Long-term monitoring data for fully-grouted nested piezometers shows the method can be helpful for characterization of aquifer parameters and for guiding conceptualization of groundwater models.
Additional Key Words: groundwater monitoring, aquifer testing, remote data acquisition, nested piezometers.
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1Preliminary abstract for the NGWA Ground Water Summit, April 19-23, 2009,
2 Errol L. Montgomery & Associates, Inc., 1550 East Prince Road, Tucson,
3 Errol L. Montgomery & Associates, Inc., 5010 E. Shea Blvd. #D-110, Scottsdale, Arizona, 85254, USA
4 Errol L. Montgomery & Associates, LTDA., Encomenderos Nº 231, Las Condes, Santiago, Chile