MODELING OF SEAWATER INTRUSION INTO COASTAL AQUIFERS IN LABORATORY CONDITIONS

The impact of groundwater level reduction plays an important role in the intrusion of seawater in coastal aquifers. Seawater intrusion is becoming the main constraint on the use of fresh groundwater in coastal aquifers. The aim of this study is to establish the simulation model of the seawater intrusion process in a porous coastal aquifer and to generate data sets for describing the intrusion of a saltwater wedge in a porous medium as a function of time. The experiment was performed with one porous medium of a certain porosity and with a constant hydraulic gradient. The experiment showed that the largest intrusion of the salt wedge was at the very beginning of the experiment and that the mixing zone of fresh and salt water was insignificant. Over time the changes of the salt wedge become insignificant and the salt wedge reached a steady state condition. The results of this experiment will help in future planning to solve the problem of salt water intrusion into coastal aquifers