Hydrogeological Characterization Based on Long Term Groundwater Pressure Monitoring

The Mizunami Underground Research Laboratory (MIU) is now under construction by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency in the Tono area of central Japan. The MIU project is being implemented in three overlapping Phases: Surface-based Investigation (Phase I), Construction (Phase II) and Operation (Phase III). The changes of groundwater pressure due to shaft excavation can be considered analogous to a large-scale pumping test. Therefore, there is the possibility that the site scale groundwater field (several km square) can be approximated by the long-term groundwater pressure monitoring data from Phase II. Based on the monitoring observations, hydrogeological characteristics were estimated using the s-log(t/r²) plot based on the Cooper-Jacob straight line method. Results of the s-log(t/r²) plots are as follows. The groundwater flow field around the MIU construction site is separated into domains by an impermeable fault. In other words, the fault is a hydraulic barrier. Hydraulic conductivity calculated from s-log(t/r²) plots are in the order of 1.0E−7(m/s). The above results from the long term monitoring during Phase II are a verification of the hydrogeological characteristics determined in the Phase I investigations.