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Aquifer Yield Calculator

Work out aquifer yield instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Aquifer Yield Calculator

Only part of an aquifer's water drains under gravity - the specific yield, typically 10-25% for sand and gravel and under 5% for clay. A 2.5 square kilometre aquifer 18 m thick holds 45 million cubic metres saturated but yields 6.75 million, enough for 13.5 years at 500,000 cubic metres a year.

Formulas

Saturated volume

volume = area x saturated thickness

Recoverable water

recoverable = saturated volume x specific yield

Worked example

With the default values below, Aquifer Yield Calculator returns Recoverable Water Volume of 6.75000 × 10⁶. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Aquifer areaminimum 0 km2
2.5 km2
Saturated thicknessminimum 0 m
18 m
Specific yieldaccepts 0–100 %
15 %

Results

Recoverable Water Volume
6.75000 × 10⁶ m3
Total Saturated Volume
4.5000 × 10⁷ m3
Same Volume In Megalitres
6,750.0
Years Of Supply At 500,000 m3 A Year
13.50

Step by step

  1. 1Values used
  2. 2Saturated volume
  3. 3Recoverable water
  4. 4Recoverable Water Volume= 6,750,000.00000 m3
  5. 5Total Saturated Volume= 45,000,000.0000 m3
  6. 6Same Volume In Megalitres= 6,750.0
  7. 7Years Of Supply At 500,000 m3 A Year= 13.50

Assumptions and limits

  • The result is derived only from the 3 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
  • In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
  • Figures are rounded for display to 5 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is specific yield below porosity?

Because some water clings to grains by capillary and molecular forces. That retained fraction is the specific retention.

Is pumping the full recoverable volume sustainable?

No. Sustainable abstraction is limited by recharge, not storage. Mining storage lowers water tables and can cause subsidence.

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