Evaluation of the hydrology of an aquifer requires knowledge about the volume of groundwater in storage and also about the volume of groundwater withdrawals. Totalizer flow meters may be installed at pumping plants to measure withdrawals; however, it generally is impractical to equip all pumping plants in an area with meters. A viable alternative is the use of rate-time methods. Rate-time methods may be used at individual pumping plants to decrease the data collection necessary for determining withdrawals. At sites where pumping-time measurement devices are not installed, pumping time may be determined on the basis of energy consumption and power demand. At pumping plants where energy consumption is metered, data acquired by reading of meters is used to estimate pumping time. Care needs to be taken to read these meters correctly. At pumping plants powered by electricity, the calculations need to be modified if transformers are present. At pumping plants powered by natural gas, the effects of the pressure-correction factor need to be included in the calculations. At pumping plants powered by gasoline, diesel oil, or liquid petroleum gas, the geometry of storage tanks needs to be analyzed as part of the calculations. The relation between power demand and pumping rate at a pumping plant can be described through the use of the power-consumption coefficient. Where equipment and hydrologic conditions are stable, this coefficient can be applied to total energy consumption at a site to estimate total groundwater withdrawals. Random sampling of power consumption coefficients can be used to estimate area-wide groundwater withdrawal. (USGS)
