Modelling the response of fresh groundwater to climate and vegetation changes in coral islands

In coral islands, groundwater is a crucial freshwater resource for terrestrial life, including human water supply. Response of the freshwater lens to expected climate changes and subsequent vegetation alterations is quantified for Grande Glorieuse, a low-lying coral island in the Western Indian Ocean. Distributed models of recharge, evapotranspiration and saltwater phytotoxicity are integrated into a variable-density groundwater model to simulate the evolution of groundwater salinity. Model results are assessed against field observations including groundwater and geophysical measurements. Simulations show the major control currently exerted by the vegetation with regards to the lens morphology and the high sensitivity of the lens to climate alterations, impacting both quantity and salinity. Long-term changes in mean sea level and climatic conditions (rainfall and evapotranspiration) are predicted to be responsible for an average increase in salinity approaching 140 % (+8 kg m^?3) when combined. In low-lying areas with high vegetation density, these changes top +300 % (+10 kg m^?3). However, due to salinity increase and its phytotoxicity, it is shown that a corollary drop in vegetation activity can buffer the alteration of fresh groundwater. This illustrates the importance of accounting for vegetation dynamics to study groundwater in coral islands.     

Characterization of an island aquifer from tidal response

Growing demand for potable water for various needs has lead to indiscriminate exploitation of groundwater resources, particularly, in the terrain where surface water resources are negligible. One such area is an island where groundwater is the only source of fresh water. Groundwater is the prime source of fresh water on most of the atolls in the world. Groundwater on these islands is in the form of thin fragile floating lens and is often vulnerable to overexploitation, draught, tidal waves, tsunami and cyclone resulting in seawater ingress. Sustainable development of this meager source of fresh groundwater for a longer time becomes a more difficult task on small atolls with a large population depending on this vital resource. To develop a sustainable management scheme and identify the vulnerable part of aquifer, characterization of the aquifer system on islands is imperative. Groundwater on an atoll is extremely vulnerable to seawater mixing through natural as well as human activities. One such natural process is the tides of the ocean. The response of sea tide to the water table on the island offers valuable data as well as cost-effective means to characterize an aquifer system. Such characterization is vital for the management of groundwater resources on an atoll. The obtained results have compared well with the parameters obtained through a conventional pumping test. Therefore, the use of tidal response to the water table, which can easily be recorded, provides a rapid and cost-effective means to characterization of the aquifer system on the island.     

Conceptual hydrogeological model of volcanic Easter Island (Chile) after chemical and isotopic surveys

Most human activities and hydrogeological information on small young volcanic islands are near the coastal area. There are almost no hydrological data from inland areas, where permanent springs and/or boreholes may be rare or nonexistent. A major concern is the excessive salinity of near-the-coast wells. Obtaining a conceptual hydrogeological model is crucial for groundwater resources development and management. Surveys of water seepages and rain for chemical and environmental isotope contents may provide information on the whole island groundwater flow conditions, in spite of remaining geological and hydrogeological uncertainties. New data from Easter Island (Isla de Pascua), in the Pacific Ocean, are considered. Whether Easter Island has a central low permeability volcanic “core” sustaining an elevated water table remains unknown. Average recharge is estimated at 300–400 mm/year, with a low salinity of 15–50 mg/L Cl. There is an apron of highly permeable volcanics that extends to the coast. The salinity of near-the-coast wells, >1,000 mg/L Cl, is marine in origin. This is the result of a thick mixing zone of island groundwater and encroached seawater, locally enhanced by upconings below pumping wells. This conceptual model explains what is observed, in the absence of inland boreholes and springs.     

基岩岛屿地下水数值模拟发展研究现状

基岩岛屿占我国岛屿的90%以上,且岛屿上的淡水资源十分珍贵。目前,岛屿上的供水(船运、雨水收集、海水淡化等)存在成本高、设备易坏等缺点。因此,岛屿的地下水资源无疑是优质、可靠、稳定的供水源。为了更好地开发基岩岛屿地下水资源,认为针对基岩岛屿地下水模拟,从地下水理论、地下水模拟的国内外研究现状和模拟模型等方面进行了综述。总结认为: 基岩岛屿的地下水多以“淡水蘑菇体”的形式储存,有别于沙质岛屿; 模拟模型应概化为横向各项同性的达西流或非达西流,或二者的耦合模型,并归纳了相应的地下水流运动方程; 基岩岛屿地下水模拟模型应分为孔隙型、裂隙型和孔隙-裂隙型3种类型; 在岛屿边界设定上,基岩海岸应设为隔水边界,沙质海岸应设为定水头边界。综述研究认为: 基岩岛屿地下水模拟模型应尽可能精细、完整、精准地刻画基岩岛屿的地质地貌,设置完整的岛屿补径排项; 模拟时,应准确对应基岩岛屿的地下水类型,选准模拟方法与模拟软件; 模型验证工作也是十分重要,需多次与岛屿水量均衡,且与实测水量和水位作对照,不断地修善模型。以上综述成果为我国今后开展基岩岛屿地下水数据模拟提供了理论依据。     

基岩岛屿地下水数值模拟发展研究现状

基岩岛屿占我国岛屿的90%以上,且岛屿上的淡水资源十分珍贵。目前,岛屿上的供水(船运、雨水收集、海水淡化等)存在成本高、设备易坏等缺点。因此,岛屿的地下水资源无疑是优质、可靠、稳定的供水源。为了更好地开发基岩岛屿地下水资源,认为针对基岩岛屿地下水模拟,从地下水理论、地下水模拟的国内外研究现状和模拟模型等方面进行了综述。总结认为: 基岩岛屿的地下水多以“淡水蘑菇体”的形式储存,有别于沙质岛屿; 模拟模型应概化为横向各项同性的达西流或非达西流,或二者的耦合模型,并归纳了相应的地下水流运动方程; 基岩岛屿地下水模拟模型应分为孔隙型、裂隙型和孔隙-裂隙型3种类型; 在岛屿边界设定上,基岩海岸应设为隔水边界,沙质海岸应设为定水头边界。综述研究认为: 基岩岛屿地下水模拟模型应尽可能精细、完整、精准地刻画基岩岛屿的地质地貌,设置完整的岛屿补径排项; 模拟时,应准确对应基岩岛屿的地下水类型,选准模拟方法与模拟软件; 模型验证工作也是十分重要,需多次与岛屿水量均衡,且与实测水量和水位作对照,不断地修善模型。以上综述成果为我国今后开展基岩岛屿地下水数据模拟提供了理论依据。     

Control of sea-water intrusion by salt-water pumping: Coast of Oman

A shallow alluvial coastal aquifer in the Batinah area of Oman, with sea-water intrusion that extends several kilometres inland, has been studied experimentally, analytically and numerically. The water table is proved to have a trough caused by intensive pumping from a fresh groundwater zone and evaporation from the saline phreatic surface. Resistivity traverses perpendicular to the shoreline indicated no fresh groundwater recharge into the sea. Using an analytical Dupuit-Forchheimer model, developed for the plain part of the catchment, explicit expressions for the water table, sharp interface location and stored volume of fresh water are obtained. It is shown that by the pumping of salt water from the intruded part of the aquifer, this intrusion can be mitigated. Different catchment sizes, intensities of fresh groundwater pumping, evaporation rates, water densities, sea level, incident fresh water level in the mountains and hydraulic conductivity are considered. SUTRA code is applied to a hypothetical case of a leaky aquifer with line sinks modeling fresh water withdrawal and evaporation. The numerical code also shows that pumping of saline water can pull the dispersion zone back to the shoreline.     

Management of freshwater lenses on small Pacific islands

The nature of shallow aquifers and the impacts of seawater intrusion in small islands within the Pacific Ocean are reviewed. Many Pacific islands rely on shallow fresh groundwater lenses in highly permeable aquifers, underlain and surrounded by seawater, as their principal freshwater source. It is argued here that, in small islands, the nature of fresh groundwater lenses and their host aquifers coupled with frequent natural and ever-present anthropogenic threats make them some of the most vulnerable aquifer systems in the world. A simple steady-state approximation is used to provide insight into the key climatic, hydrogeological, physiographic, and management factors that influence the quantity of, and saline intrusion into freshwater lenses. Examples of the dynamic nature of freshwater lenses as they respond to these drivers are given. Natural and human-related threats to freshwater lenses are discussed. Long dry periods strongly coupled to sea surface temperatures impact on the quantity and salinity of fresh groundwater. The vulnerability of small island freshwater lenses dictates careful assessment, vigilant monitoring, appropriate development, and astute management. Strategies to aid future groundwater sustainability in small islands are presented and suggested improvements to donor and aid programs in water are also advanced.     

Appraisal of groundwater resources in an island condition

A group of 36 coral islands is being scattered in the Arabian Sea off the western coast of India. On such islands, groundwater is the only source of fresh water for the islanders. The demand for groundwater is increasing every year due to growing population and urbanization. On the other side the peculiar hydrologic, geologic and geomorphic features restrict the availability of groundwater. Thus a proper understanding of the groundwater condition is important in order to meet this increasing demand and also to formulate future development and management strategies. Detailed hydrogeological, geophysical and hydrochemical studies had been carried out to identify potential fresh groundwater resources and quantify vulnerable parts of Andrott Island, Union Territory of Lakshadweep. Systematic collection and analysis of hydrological, geophysical and hydrochemical data gives an early signal of deterioration in groundwater quality in the peripheral parts of eastern and western coasts of this island and it suggests immediate measures for arresting the deterioration in groundwater quality as well as augmentation for restoration of aquifer in some parts of the island.     

Groundwater evolution, chemical sedimentation and carbonate brine formation on an island in the Okavango Delta swamp, Botswana

The Okavango Delta of semi-arid northern Botswana is a large alluvial fan (22,000 km²) covered by permanent and seasonal swamps from which 96% of the annual discharge is lost by evapotranspiration. Many small islands (1ha) within the permanent swamps are the sites of accumulation of sodium carbonate salts and many contain saline pans. The associated alkaline soils are toxic to vegetation. An understanding of the processes involved in alkalinization could be of potential benefit to long-term conservation planning in this unique ecosystem. The relation between soil chemistry and mineralogy, and swamp and groundwater chemistry were investigated on an island in the swamps. The study revealed that the water table beneath the island is depressed and swamp water enters the groundwater regime of the island from the margins and below, and flows toward the centre. The water becomes progressively more saline, initially owing to transpiration by trees and ultimately by evaporation in the central parts of the island. As a result of increasing salinity, amorphous SiO₂ and magnesium calcite precipitate in the soils beneath the marginal zone of the island, raising the land surface, while the more soluble alkali carbonates are concentrated in the centre of the island as surface crusts and brine ponds. Leaching of these salts into the soil during the rainy season and gravity-driven flow of saline brines in the dry season causes the downward movement of Al and Fe in the central zone of the island. K-feldspar and possibly amorphous allophane develop in the deeper soils under the central zone of the island.     

Preliminary geochemical evidence of groundwater contamination in coral islands of Xi-Sha,South China Sea

Geochemical data on dissolved major, minor and trace constituents in groundwater samples from Xi-Sha coral islands (Paratas Islands) reveal the main processes responsible for their geochemical evolution. Multivariate statistical analysis indicates four sources of solutes: (1) seawater intrusion due to limited groundwater recharge; (2) leaching of heavy metals from imported granite soil; (3) leaching of toxic elements such as As due to guano-soil erosion and historical phosphatic guano mining; and (4) local and regional contamination characterized by high loadings of Cu, Ag and Hg. Although process 1 dominates the geochemical characteristics of the groundwater, process 4 indicates the significant role of anthropogenic impact by local (e.g., Cu) and regional (e.g., Hg) sources. Such contamination in groundwater will potentially impose adverse effects on the fragile ecosystem of the coral islands. It is necessary to monitor microorganisms associated with human feces in the nearshore water column as well as nutrient levels in coastal waters in order to further assess the impact of human activities on the ecosystem of these islands.     

基岩岛屿地下水流场数值模拟研究

岛屿是我国领土的重要组成部分,对国家安全和国防军事意义非凡。岛屿的地下水资源尤为珍贵,地下水流场模拟是研究地下水分布规律的重要手段。水文地质条件复杂、可利用的观测井较少等原因,造成了基岩岛屿水文地质模型概化精度不高、初始条件难以获取等问题。为克服基岩岛屿地下水流场模拟的诸多困难,将珠海外伶仃岛作为研究区,利用数字高程模型数据开展地质地貌建模; 利用探地雷达法、直流电法与地质分析对岛屿进行探测,获取了地层数据; 采用地下水遥感评估法,利用实测井位数据,确定了地下水的初始水位,进而对基岩岛屿地下水流场进行建模; 最终,通过对外伶仃岛地下水流场的数值模拟得出地下水模拟流场图。岛上多个测点的探测水位值与模拟水位相关性较好,其拟合优度R²为0.872 2。由此可见,综合遥感、物探、水文地质手段等技术方法获取的数据,采用地下水模拟软件或程序实现基岩岛屿地下水流场的数值模拟,是基岩岛屿地下水资源研究的一个有效方法。     

Inverse modelling of aquifer parameters in basaltic rock with the help of pumping test method using MODFLOW software

The origin and movement of groundwater are the fundamental questions that address both the temporal and spatial aspects of ground water run and water supply related issues in hydrological systems. As groundwater flows through an aquifer, its composition and temperature may variation dependent on the aquifer condition through which it flows. Thus, hydrologic investigations can also provide useful information about the subsurface geology of a region. But because such studies investigate processes that follow under the Earth's shallow, obtaining the information necessary to answer these questions is not continuously easy. Springs, which discharge groundwater table directly, afford to study subsurface hydrogeological processes.The present study of estimation of aquifer factors such as transmissivity (T) and storativity (S) are vital for the evaluation of groundwater resources. There are several methods to estimate the accurate aquifer parameters (i.e. hydrograph analysis, pumping test, etc.). In initial days, these parameters are projected either by means of in-situ test or execution test on aquifer well samples carried in the laboratory. The simultaneous information on the hydraulic behavior of the well (borehole) that provides on this method, the reservoir and the reservoir boundaries, are important for efficient aquifer and well data management and analysis. The most common in-situ test is pumping test performed on wells, which involves the measurement of the fall and increase of groundwater level with respect to time. The alteration in groundwater level (drawdown/recovery) is caused due to pumping of water from the well. Theis (1935) was first to propose method to evaluate aquifer parameters from the pumping test on a bore well in a confined aquifer. It is essential to know the transmissivity (T = Kb, where b is the aquifer thickness; pumping flow rate, Q = TW (dh/dl) flow through an aquifer) and storativity (confined aquifer: S = bS_s, unconfined: S = S_y), for the characterization of the aquifer parameters in an unknown area so as to predict the rate of drawdown of the groundwater table/potentiometric surface throughout the pumping test of an aquifer. The determination of aquifer's parameters is an important basis for groundwater resources evaluation, numerical simulation, development and protection as well as scientific management. For determining aquifer's parameters, pumping test is a main method. A case study shows that these techniques have been fast speed and high correctness. The results of parameter's determination are optimized so that it has important applied value for scientific research and geology engineering preparation.     

Effects of climate change on groundwater resources at Shelter Island, New York State, USA

Rising sea levels due to climate change are expected to negatively impact the fresh-water resources of small islands. The effects of climate change on Shelter Island, New York State (USA), a small sandy island, were investigated using a variable-density transient groundwater flow model. Predictions for changes in precipitation and sea-level rise over the next century from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 2007 report were used to create two future climate scenarios. In the scenario most favorable to fresh groundwater retention, consisting of a 15% precipitation increase and 0.18-m sea-level rise, the result was a 23-m seaward movement of the fresh-water/salt-water interface, a 0.27-m water-table rise, and a 3% increase in the fresh-water lens volume. In the scenario supposedly least favorable to groundwater retention, consisting of a 2% precipitation decrease and 0.61-m sea-level rise, the result was a 16-m landward movement of the fresh-water/salt-water interface, a 0.59-m water-table rise, and a 1% increase in lens volume. The unexpected groundwater-volume increase under unfavorable climate change conditions was best explained by a clay layer under the island that restricts the maximum depth of the aquifer and allows for an increase in fresh-water lens volume when the water table rises.     

Hydrochemical and statistical studies of the groundwater salinization in Mediterranean arid zones: case of the Jerba coastal aquifer in southeast Tunisia

Coastal aquifers are considered as major sources for freshwater supply worldwide, especially in arid zones. The weak rainfall as well as the intensive extraction of groundwater from coastal aquifers reduce freshwater budget and create local water aquifer depression, causing both seawater intrusion and a threat to groundwater. This phenomenon was observed in the Jerba Island which is located in southeast Tunisia. Jerba??s unconfined aquifer shows high values of groundwater salinity reaching, locally, 17?g/l and a strong contrast between some zones of the aquifer. High pumping rates and weak recharge disturb the natural equilibrium between fresh and saline water causing water salinization in most areas of the island. This study aims at establishing the salinity map of the aquifer and identifying the origin of groundwater salinization. The salinity map shows that zones characterized by low groundwater salinity are located in the center of the study area. High groundwater salinities are observed near the coast and in some parts having low topographic and piezometric levels. Groundwater geochemical characterization, and Br/Cl and Na/Cl ratios suggest that the origin of abnormal salinity is seawater intrusion. Considering groundwater salinity values and Br concentrations, a seawater intrusion map is established. It shows that many areas of the unconfined aquifer are contaminated by mixed groundwater and seawater. The statistical analysis demonstrates that high mineralization of the groundwater is due to gypsum and carbonate dissolution coupled with the mixed groundwater and seawater in many areas.     

Groundwater mixing in a sand-island freshwater lens: density-dependent flow and stratigraphic controls

This paper focuses on a small back-barrier sand-island on the southeast coast of Queensland. The freshwater lens in the study area exhibits anomalously high short-range salinity gradients at shallow depths, which cannot be explained using a standard seawater intrusion model. The island groundwater system consists of two aquifers: a semiconfined aquifer hosting saline to hypersaline groundwater and an overlying unconfined freshwater aquifer. The deeper aquifer is semiconfined within an incised paleovalley, and groundwater flow is restricted to an east – west direction. Tidal response observations show that the tidal signal propagates far more rapidly and is of much higher magnitude in the semiconfined aquifer than the unconfined aquifer. The tidal wave-pulse amplitude is also subject to greater attenuation in the unconfined aquifer. A conceptual hydrogeological model illustrates how upwelling of hypersaline groundwater, induced by density-dependent flow and tidal pumping, has contaminated the shallow groundwater resource. Salinisation at shallow depths is restricted to an area proximal to the paleovalley aquifer. The spatial distribution of lithological heterogeneity is an initial limiting control on the movement of the upwelling saline plume. The extent of shallow groundwater contamination is also limited by the presence of a baroclinic field, resulting from lateral variations in fluid density. Hydrochemical signatures have been used to support the model hypothesis and link the salinisation of fresh groundwater with the semiconfined aquifer as opposed to the surrounding estuarine surface water. The geometry and thickness of the freshwater lens are further controlled by the presence of the largely impermeable bedrock paleosurface between 9 and 12 m depth. The combination of hypersaline groundwater and hydraulically restrictive lithology at shallow depths has produced excessive thinning of the freshwater lens, demonstrating that the application of a model such as the Dupuit – Ghyben – Herzberg relationship would grossly overestimate the available groundwater resource.     

Regional groundwater flow model for Abu Dhabi Emirate: scenario-based investigation

Despite the continuous increase in water supply from desalination plants in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, groundwater remains the major source of fresh water satisfying domestic and agricultural demands. Groundwater has always been considered as a strategic water source towards groundwater security in the Emirate. Understanding the groundwater flow system, including identification of recharge and discharge areas, is a crucial step towards proper management of this precious source. One main tool to achieve such goal is a groundwater model development. As such, the main aim of this paper is to develop a regional groundwater flow model for the surficial aquifer in Abu Dhabi Emirate using MODFLOW. Up to our knowledge, this is the first regional numerical groundwater flow model for Abu Dhabi Emirate. After steady state and transient model calibration, several future scenarios of recharge and pumping are simulated. Results indicate that groundwater pumping remains several times higher than aquifer recharge from rainfall, which provides between 2 and 5% of total aquifer recharge. The largest contribution of recharge is due to subsurface inflow from the eastern Oman Mountains. While rainfall induced groundwater level fluctuation is absent in the western coastal region, it reaches a maximum of 0.5 m in the eastern part of the Emirate. In contrast, over the past decades, groundwater levels have declined annually by 0.5 m on average with local extremes spanning from 93 m of decline to 60 m of increase. Results also indicate that a further decrease in groundwater levels is expected in most of Emirate. At other few locations, upwelling of groundwater is expected due to a combination of reduced pumping and increased infiltration of water from nonconventional sources. Beyond results presented here, this regional groundwater model is expected to provide an effective tool to water resources managers in Abu Dhabi. It will help to accurately estimate sustainable extraction rates, assess groundwater availability, and identify pathways and velocity of groundwater flow as crucial information for identifying the best locations for artificial recharge.     

Managing groundwater rise: Experimental results and modelling of water pumping from a quarry lake in Milan urban area (Italy)

An innovative approach to solve the problem of lowering water table was carried out in a quarry lake south of the city of Milan (northern Italy): the project, based upon pumping out water at a rate of 1,000 L/s can be considered a strategic medium to long-term solution to hinder the rise of groundwater level interfering with underground structures (foundation, construction, subway) in urban areas. The basic idea is to pump a high groundwater rate as close as possible to the stagnation point of the piezometric depression located in the city. After a pilot-test was carried out in November 1998, experimental activities started in July 2001 and lasted one year; water withdrawal was discharged into artificial channels used in agricultural practice. Maximum drawdowns measured in the quarry lake by the monitoring network resulted in more than 5 m, and a significant drawdown was registered up to 1.5 km of distance from the quarry in the important historical site of Chiaravalle Abbey, threatened by groundwater rise. The results of this pumping activity confirm the importance of the project, its lower cost compared with traditional solutions (such as drainage by wells) and remarkable effects on the improvement of surface water quality. A groundwater model was implemented to evaluate further scenarios of discharge rate and pumping location, too.     

Groundwater travel times for unconfined island aquifers bounded by freshwater or seawater

Analytical solutions for calculating groundwater travel times within unconfined island aquifers are given for cases of both a freshwater-bounded island (island located in a fresh water lake) and an oceanic island (freshwater contained above intrusive saltwater). The solutions apply for homogenous aquifers recharged by surface infiltration and discharged by a down-gradient, fixed-head boundary, under steady-state conditions. The solutions are given for two simple island geometries: circular islands and strip islands. A technique is also provided for comparing travel times in inland islands and oceanic islands. Travel times in oceanic islands are found to be shorter than travel times in inland islands, and travel times in circular islands are found to be longer than travel times in strip islands.     

Pathways for sediment transport and retention in a vegetated,mid-channel island: Connecting sediment dynamics to morphology in Meinmahla Island,Ayeyarwady Delta,Myanmar

Vegetated mid-channel islands play an important though poorly understood role in the sediment dynamics and morphology of tide-dominated deltas. Meinmahla Island is a mangrove-forest preserve at the mouth of the Bogale distributary channel, in the Ayeyarwady Delta, Myanmar. In this relatively unaltered mid-channel island, sediment dynamics can be directly connected to morphology. Field measurements from 2017 to 2019 provide insight into the pathways for sediment transport and resulting morphological evolution. Water depth, salinity and turbidity were monitored semi-continuously, and velocity profilers with turbidity and salinity sensors were deployed seasonally in single-entrance (dead-end/blind) and multi-entrance tidal channels of the island. The morphological evolution was evaluated using grain size, ²¹⁰Pb geochronology, remote sensing and channel surveys. The data show that ebb-dominant, single-entrance channels along the island exterior import sediment year-round to the land surface. However, these exterior channels do not deliver enough sediment to maintain the observed ca 0.8 cm/yr accretion rate, and most of the sediment import occurs via interior, multi-entrance channels. Interior channels retain water masses that are physically distinct from the water in the Bogale distributary, and estuarine processes at the tidal-channel mouths import sediment into the island. Sediment is sourced to the island from upriver in the wet season and from the Gulf of Mottoma in the dry season, as the location of the estuary shifts seasonally within the Bogale distributary. The salinity and biogeochemistry of the distributary water are affected by interactions with sediment and groundwater in the island interior. The largest interior channels have remained remarkably stable while the island has aggraded and prograded over decadal timescales. However, the studied multi-entrance channel is responding to a drainage-network change by narrowing and shoaling. Overall, mid-channel islands trap sediment and associated nutrients at the river–ocean interface, and these resilient landscape features evolve in response to changes in drainage-network connectivity.     

Groundwater resource sustainability in the Wadi Watir delta, Gulf of Aqaba, Sinai, Egypt

The Wadi Watir delta, in the arid Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, contains an alluvial aquifer underlain by impermeable Precambrian basement rock. The scarcity of rainfall during the last decade, combined with high pumping rates, resulted in degradation of water quality in the main supply wells along the mountain front, which has resulted in reduced groundwater pumping. Additionally, seawater intrusion along the coast has increased salinity in some wells. A three-dimensional (3D) groundwater flow model (MODFLOW) was calibrated using groundwater-level changes and pumping rates from 1982 to 2009; the groundwater recharge rate was estimated to be 1.58?×?10⁶ m³/year. A variable-density flow model (SEAWAT) was used to evaluate seawater intrusion for different pumping rates and well-field locations. Water chemistry and stable isotope data were used to calculate seawater mixing with groundwater along the coast. Geochemical modeling (NETPATH) determined the sources and mixing of different groundwaters from the mountainous recharge areas and within the delta aquifers; results showed that the groundwater salinity is controlled by dissolution of minerals and salts in the aquifers along flow paths and mixing of chemically different waters, including upwelling of saline groundwater and seawater intrusion. Future groundwater pumping must be closely monitored to limit these effects.