To avoid the salinization of soil in a farming area, parallel drainage canals are to be installed to maintain the water table at a depth of at least 4m below the ground surface. It is thought that no evapo-transpiration would occur below that depth. This water table aquifer has hydraulic conductivity of 1.5 m/day. The canals fully penetrate the aquifer and have a stage of 3m. The design depth from the ground surface to the bottom of the canal is 10 m. The daily recharge from precipitation and irrigation to the aquifer is 0.019 m.
What is the optimal distance between the two drainage canals to achieve the desired water table control?
What is the discharge rate per unit width of the aquifer to the canals?