On the spreading mechanism of shallow groundwater in the Hinterland of the Dutch Dune hill area

The low lying Western part of the Netherlands is protected from the sea by a 5 km wide stretch of dunes rising to some 50 m of height. The fresh water pocket in the dunes overlies saline groundwater and a brackish transition zone. There was during a century an extraction of fresh groundwater for drinking water, supported by artificial infiltration. This has been stopped some 30 years ago. The consequent wetting of the valuable farm area (flower cultures) behind the dunes is stronger and more extensive than could be expected from mere replenishment of the fresh water zones in the dunes. It is shown in this paper that the lateral shear flows in the brackish and saline groundwater area have displaced (and are displacing) the interfaces vertically downward. The effect of more fresh and less saline groundwater in an arbitrary groundwater column is an (extra) rise of the groundwater head of the upper fresh water part. The described slow process will continue for decades until a new equilibrium has been established. In the mean time the inner dune farm area will have to cope with a surprisingly strong and extensive water level rise.