Step-drawdown test is one of the widely-used aquifer test methods to evaluate aquifer and well losses. Various approaches have been suggested to estimate well losses using the step-drawdown test data but the uncertainties associated with data interpretation and analysis still exist. In this study, we applied three different step-drawdown test analysis methods -Jacob (1947), Labadie and Helweg (1975), Gupta (1989)- to the step-drawdown test data in Seobu-myeon, Hongseong-gun, South Korea and estimated aquifer and well losses. Comparisons of different step-drawdown test analysis methods revealed that the estimated well losses showed different values depending on the applied methods and these variations are likely to be related to the limitation of the assumptions for each analysis method. Based on the detailed analysis of time-drawdown data, we performed step-drawdown test analysis after removing outlier data during the initial stage of step drawdown test. The results showed that the application of the revised time-drawdown data could substantially decrease the error of the analysis as well as the variations in the estimated well losses from different analysis methods. 

Keywords: Step-drawdown test, well losses, Jacob, Labadie and Helweg, Gupta