Field study on the damages of a well due to the Great East Japan Earthquake

Abstract

The prolonged interruption of city water supply caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake had severe influences on the daily life of citizens and the economic activities in the quake-hit area. Thus the necessity for alternative water supply system that can complement the existing city waterworks is being recognized. In this study, field tests were conducted on water wells suffered by the compound forces of vibration and tsunami in order to investigate the ground vibration properties, damage in the well structures, and water pumping ability. As a result, no functional losses of the wells were found. This result suggests the technical possibility of constructing an alternative water supply system that utilizes the groundwater as measures against mega-earthquake disaster.