Author(s)

Joseph F Botha

Abstract

Karoo aquifers are without any doubt one of the primary sources for potable water in South Africa. Unfortunately, the aquifers have a very complex and unpredictable behaviour. The general view is thus that Karoo aquifers are not reliable sources of water. However, this investigation has shown that the hydraulic behaviour of these aquifers is largely controlled by the geometry of the Karoo sediments. The result is that the flow pattern, in stressed aquifers, is vertical and linear, and not horizontal and radial as was believed previously. This paper discusses a new three-dimensional numerical model, that takes these properties into account, and a few field observations supporting the development of this model. Introduction Sediments of the Karoo Supergroup of formations under

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