Estimation of Hydraulic Conductivity from Well Logs for the Parameterization of Heterogeneous Multilayer Aquifer Systems

This study presents a methodology for estimating hydraulic conductivity (K) from well geophysical logs, with the aim of improving the parameterization of hydrogeological models in data-scarce regions. The lack of data poses a challenge for aquifer characterization, especially in contexts requiring integrated groundwater management. In such contexts, indirect methods can support estimation of key hydraulic parameters. The proposed methodology was applied to wells which penetrate Neogene–Quaternary hydrogeological units of the sedimentary aquifer system in the Middle Magdalena Valley, Colombia. Effective porosity was estimated from sonic and gamma ray logs, while temperature profiles were derived from the regional geothermal gradient and calibrated with field measurements. Hydraulic conductivity was estimated using an approach based on the Csókás method and validated through comparison with 131 pumping tests and alignment with the parameterization of a previously calibrated regional groundwater flow model. Pumping tests yielded geometric mean K values of 1.56 m/day in floodplain deposits (QFal), 1.36 m/day in U4, and 0.96 m/day in U3. K values from well logs ranged from 1.65 to 2.95 m/day, within the same order of magnitude. These findings support the proposed methodology as a viable alternative for the parameterization of numerical hydrogeological models in data-scarce environments.