PPolySim OS

Groundwater Well Drawdown

Pump a well and the water table dips into a cone of depression around it. See how pumping rate and aquifer properties set how deep and how wide that cone spreads.

Groundwater Well DrawdownLive

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Pumping a well lowers the water table into a cone of depression. Under the Thiem steady-state solution the drawdown is s(r) = Q/(2πT)·ln(R/r): more pumping deepens the cone, higher transmissivity flattens it. Fundamental to well design, water supply, and contaminant capture.

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Drawdown at well4.7 m
Drawdown at 50 m1.47 m
Radius of influence500 m

Governing equation

Reading this result: Drawdown is Q/(2πT)·ln(R/r): here it is about 4.7 m at the well and falls off logarithmically, so most of the depression sits in the first tens of metres.

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How it works

The Thiem steady-state solution gives drawdown s(r) = Q/(2πT)·ln(R/r), where Q is the pumping rate, T the aquifer transmissivity, and R the radius of influence. Higher pumping deepens the cone; higher transmissivity spreads it out and flattens it. This underlies well design, sustainable yield, and capture-zone analysis for contamination.

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Frequently asked questions

Is this groundwater drawdown calculator tool really free?
Yes. Groundwater Well Drawdown runs entirely in your browser using your device's own compute, so local use is free forever. You only pay Compute Tokens if you scale a job to the cloud.
Do I need to install anything?
No. Everything runs client-side in a modern browser — no downloads, no license, no account required to start.
Can I save or share my simulation?
Create a free account to save projects, and use a shareable embed or minted DOI to publish a live, interactive version anywhere.
How accurate are the results?
The solver uses established numerical methods, but results are for research and educational purposes and should be validated against experiment or professional review before you rely on them.