Hydraulic Parameterisation (Packer Testing & Slug Testing)
Packer & Slug Testing
We measure how readily groundwater moves to de-risk design, dewatering and contamination projects. Our team applies multiple complementary field methods for fast, defensible permeability data.
Packer & Slug Testing
We measure how readily groundwater moves to de-risk design, dewatering and contamination projects. Our team applies multiple complementary field methods for fast, defensible permeability data.
Slug Testing
We briefly raise or lower the water level in a monitoring well and track the recovery to calculate hydraulic conductivity of the screened formation. It is quick, non-pumping and ideal in sands, silts and gravels. We use live-interface data loggers for both physical (solid-slug) and pressure (pneumatic) tests, enabling real-time QA and high-frequency early-time capture.
Packer Testing
We use constant head permeameters to quantify hydraulic conductivity under controlled, steady-flow conditions. This method is particularly useful for granular materials and engineered media where flow can be maintained at a constant hydraulic gradient, allowing us to derive representative K values for design and modelling.
The results are used to support hydraulic parameterisation by reducing uncertainty in key model zones such as shallow sands, backfill, drainage layers, or permeable horizons that may control inflow to excavations. We document limitations and integrate the permeameter outcomes within a lines-of-evidence approach alongside field testing and geological interpretation
Pumping Test
Design and execution of step-drawdown, constant-rate and multi-day pumping tests.
Pumping tests assess aquifer properties by pumping a bore at a controlled rate and monitoring groundwater level responses in the pumped and nearby observation bores. Testing may include step tests to assess bore efficiency and constant-rate tests to define aquifer response over time. The drawdown and recovery data are analysed to estimate transmissivity, hydraulic conductivity and storage, which inform groundwater modelling, yield assessment and dewatering design..
Why HGEC?
With more than 30 years of experience in hydrogeology and environmental consulting, HGEC delivers clear, practical, and scientifically defensible groundwater advice. Our independent approach ensures groundwater resources are protected while enabling clients to plan with confidence and certainty.
