New groundwater monitoring wells for MAR investigations are constructed in Pirna

In June 2016, seven groundwater monitoring wells were installed next to the MAR-RIB. All 5-inch diameter wells are 14 m deep. The profile of the drilling shows in very broad terms four layers: an organic layer (20 cm), a sandy layer with anthropogenic material (up to 1.5 m depth), a very sandy layer with coarse natural stones (up to 6-7 m depth) and a gravel layer, where the groundwater mainly flows. The water table oscillates between 6 and 8 meters below the ground surface, depending on the season of the year. In the wells a data logger will be installed to record the water level variations, so as the possible change of physical characteristics of the groundwater (e.g. temperature and conductivity) during the operation of the MAR-RIB. The monitoring wells also will enable the performance of tracer experiments to determine the vertical travel time from the surface until the water table, so as the horizontal direction of the flow from the infiltration unit to the Elbe river.