Three-dimensional groundwater flow modeling approach for the groundwater management options for the Dakhla oasis,Western Desert,Egypt

In Dakhla oasis, Western Desert of Egypt, groundwater is the only resource for all anthropogenic activities. During the last 50 years, the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System (NSAS) has been undergoing serious stress through withdrawing its storage. Plans for expanding the agricultural areas in Dakhla oasis were given by the government. This article is an attempt to investigate the best management option that meets development ambitions and groundwater availability. Based on a calibrated regional three-dimensional groundwater flow model for the NSAS using FEFLOW, a refined (high resolution) local scale model was developed to simulate and predict the impact of applying the actual and planned extractions rates on Dakhla oasis. Five management scenarios were suggested. The application of the actual extraction rate of 1.2 × 10⁶ m³/day for the oasis for the next 90 years resulted in a drawdown of 75 m and a depth to groundwater up to 75 m with an annual change in hydraulic head of 0.57 m. At the end of this simulation, only a few wells at the west of the oasis will still be free flowing. The application of the planned extraction rate (1.7 × 10⁶ m³/day) resulted in great depths to groundwater (>100 m) and formed huge cones of depressions that connected together to cover the whole oasis and extend further beyond its borders. It was found that the best option for groundwater management in the oasis is the implementation of an extraction rate of 1.46 × 10⁶ m³/day, as the depths to groundwater will never exceed the 100 m limit.     

Optimal Groundwater Development in Coastal Aquifers Near Beihai, China

INTRODUCTIONThe city of Beihai,located on the south coast ofGuangxi,China,relies heavily on groundwater for its potablewater supply and agricultural irrigation.With rapid increasein population (for instance,from 134 0 0 0 in 1987to 47930 0in1995 ) and in developm ent program s,the demand for freshwater has been growing. Approxim ately 170 0 0 0 m3/ d ofgroundwater has been pumped from the productive coastalaquifers in recent years.Contamination of the fresh water inthe coastal aquifers b…     

A semi-distributed groundwater recharge model for estimating water-table and water-balance variables

A semi-distributed groundwater recharge model is presented, which estimates water-table fluctuation and water-balance variables. The model is expressed by the water-balance concept linking atmospheric and hydrogeological parameters to different water uses (industrial, agricultural, domestic, etc). It was calibrated and validated using 5 years of data collected in the Dogo Plain in Japan. A 3-year dataset, from 2000 to 2002, was used in the calibration, while a 2-year dataset, from 2003 to 2004, was used for the validation. Calibration of the model was achieved by the shuffled complex evolution automatic optimization of model parameters to match simulated results with measured water-table depth. Square roots of relative error (R²) are 0.88 and 0.90 for calibration and validation processes, respectively. Monthly evolution of water storage change was then estimated and the water-table drawdown in different pumping scenarios was simulated. Finally, the groundwater-pumping amount planned by the government for future sustainable groundwater utilization was evaluated. The government-planned groundwater-pumping amount is feasible in most regions while the midstream region should be paid more attention. This study offers a scientific basis to control and prevent depletion of groundwater resources.     

Groundwater simulation using a numerical model under different water resources management scenarios in an arid region of China

Groundwater plays an important role in the economic development and ecological balance of the arid area of northwest China. Unfortunately, human activity, for example groundwater extraction for irrigation, have resulted in excessive falls in groundwater level, and aquifer overdraft in the oasis, disrupting the natural equilibrium of these systems. A groundwater numerical model for Minqin oasis, an arid area of northwest China, was developed using FEFLOW software to simulate regional groundwater changes under transient conditions. The vertical recharge and discharge (source/sink terms) of the groundwater models were determined from land-use data and irrigation systems for the different crops in the different sub-areas. The calibrated model was used to predict the change for the period from 2000 to 2020 under various water resources management scenarios. Simulated results showed that under current water resources management conditions groundwater levels at Minqin oasis are in a continuous drawdown trend and groundwater depth will be more than 30 m by 2020. Reducing the irrigation area is more effective than water-saving irrigation to reduce groundwater decline at Minqin oasis and the annual groundwater budget would be −0.978 × 10⁸ m³. In addition, water-diversion projects can also reduce the drawdown trend of groundwater at Minqin oasis, and the groundwater budget in the Huqu sub-area would be in zero equilibrium if the annual inflow into the oasis was enhanced to 2.51 × 10⁸ m³. Furthermore, integrative water resources management including water-diversion projects, water-saving irrigation, and reducing the irrigation area are the most effective measures for solving groundwater problems at Minqin oasis.     

Numerical modeling of groundwater resource management options in the East Oweinat area,SW Egypt

Southwest Egypt is an arid area with no surface water and limited resources of useable groundwater in the well-known Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System. These groundwater reserves have been heavily exploited since the 1960s, which has led to substantial decline in the potentiometric surface of the aquifer. A calibrated regional numerical model with refined grids on the pumping centers has been used to investigate the hydrodynamic impacts of different groundwater management options on the potentiometry of the aquifers. The results indicate that there is a real danger of either dewatering the shallow aquifer in some areas (e.g., Kharga Oasis), or increasing the water depth to uneconomic lifting depth. They also indicate that, although the planned extraction rates in Dakhla, Farafra, and Bahariya oases are feasible for at least the coming 100 years, the present rate for Kharga Oasis and the planned rate for the East Oweinat area have to be reduced substantially.     

Influence of fracture anisotropy and lithological heterogeneity on wellfield response in a fluvial sandstone aquifer of the Carboniferous Moncton Subbasin, Canada

Pump tests and geophysical logs acquired in a fluvial sandstone aquifer within the resource-rich Moncton Subbasin of New Brunswick, Canada, have been used to characterize fracture patterns and flow directions for purposes of developing a water-wellfield protection plan. Fracture patterns consist of three high-angle sets, and a low-angle set parallel to bedding. NW-trending high-angle fractures, predominantly in fluvial sandstone units, appear to be most important in controlling groundwater flow directions. This contrasts with an earlier regional hydrogeological study that attributed most flow to sub-horizontal bedding-plane fractures. Water levels monitored during a 72-h pump test revealed drawdown extension parallel to the NW-trending fracture set. Drawdown curves indicate that the aquifer is laterally constrained—likely reflecting differences in fracturing observed between the channelized sandstone and surrounding shale units. As a result, groundwater flow induced by pumping is influenced by both fracture anisotropy and by the heterogeneity of the fluvial depositional environment. Relationships observed between fracture patterns, regional geological structure and lithology provide a basis for extrapolating the conceptual model to other nearby areas in the region, where potential impacts of geological resource development on groundwater are attracting public concern.     

Groundwater flood of a river terrace in southwest Wisconsin,USA

Intense rainstorms in 2008 resulted in wide-spread flooding across the Midwestern United States. In Wisconsin, floodwater inundated a 17.7-km² area on an outwash terrace, 7.5 m above the mapped floodplain of the Wisconsin River. Surface-water runoff initiated the flooding, but results of field investigation and modeling indicate that rapid water-table rise and groundwater inundation caused the long-lasting flood far from the riparian floodplain. Local geologic and geomorphic features of the landscape lead to spatial variability in runoff and recharge to the unconfined sand and gravel aquifer, and regional hydrogeologic conditions increased groundwater discharge from the deep bedrock aquifer to the river valley. Although reports of extreme cases of groundwater flooding are uncommon, this occurrence had significant economic and social costs. Local, state and federal officials required hydrologic analysis to support emergency management and long-term flood mitigation strategies. Rapid, sustained water-table rise and the resultant flooding of this high-permeability aquifer illustrate a significant aspect of groundwater system response to an extreme precipitation event. Comprehensive land-use planning should encompass the potential for water-table rise and groundwater flooding in a variety of hydrogeologic settings, as future changes in climate may impact recharge and the water-table elevation.     

Tidal controls on coastal groundwater conditions: field investigation of a macrotidal system

Previous studies of coastal groundwater resources have not properly explored the hydraulic conditions at coastal and estuarine boundaries, despite recognised influences of oceanic and estuarine water-level fluctuations (e.g. tides and waves) on groundwater near these boundaries. Such influences may have important implications for determining submarine groundwater discharge and seawater intrusion. In this paper, oceanic and estuarine controls on the hydrology of coastal aquifers are characterised for a macrotidal system—the Pioneer Valley coastal plain, northeastern Australia. The tidal water-table over-height (tide-induced increase in average water-table height at the coastline) is quantified at three locations and compared with theoretical estimates, which assume simplified physiographical conditions compared with those encountered at the field sites. The results indicate that local geological conditions, beach morphology and characteristics of tidal forcing control the behaviour of nearshore groundwater within the system. Existing analytical and numerical solutions that are commonly applied as first-pass estimates are found to be insufficient for predicting observed tidal water-table over-height in the Pioneer Valley, due to the sediment heterogeneities, non-uniform beach slopes and large tidal ranges of the system. The study reveals the spatial and temporal variability in tidally influenced hydraulic heads at the estuarine and coastal boundaries of the aquifer, and provides estimates of tidal water-table over-height up to 2.41 m during spring tides. These findings highlight the complexity of coastal groundwater systems, and the need to incorporate appropriate nearshore and near-estuary boundary conditions in models of regional groundwater flow in coastal aquifers.     

Modeling approaches and strategies for data-scarce aquifers: example of the Dar es Salaam aquifer in Tanzania

Management of groundwater resources can be improved by using groundwater models to perform risk analyses and to improve development strategies, but a lack of extensive basic data often limits the implementation of sophisticated models. Dar es Salaam in Tanzania is an example of a city where increasing groundwater use in a Pleistocene aquifer is causing groundwater-related problems such as saline intrusion along the coastline, lowering of water-table levels, and contamination of pumping wells. The lack of a water-level monitoring network introduces a problem for basic data collection and model calibration and validation. As a replacement, local water-supply wells were used for measuring groundwater depth, and well-top heights were estimated from a regional digital elevation model to recalculate water depths to hydraulic heads. These were used to draw a regional piezometric map. Hydraulic parameters were estimated from short-time pumping tests in the local wells, but variation in hydraulic conductivity was attributed to uncertainty in well characteristics (information often unavailable) and not to aquifer heterogeneity. A MODFLOW model was calibrated with a homogeneous hydraulic conductivity field and a sensitivity analysis between the conductivity and aquifer recharge showed that average annual recharge will likely be in the range 80–100 mm/year.     

民勤绿洲现状土地利用模式影响下地下水位时空变化的预测

用GIS与专业计算地下水运动的FEFLOW软件结合模拟研究了民勤绿洲现状土地利用模式影响下地下水位的时空变化。结果表明,如民勤绿洲现状土地利用模式发展下去,受其影响,绿洲地区的地下水位将持续地以较快的速度下降,到2010年10月,绿洲内将出现以绿洲腹地为中心、范围波及整个绿洲的两个地下水漏斗,漏斗中心地下水埋深将达47～52m,绿洲边缘地下水埋深将增加到17～22m,与1997年10月相比绿洲地下水位将下降9～34m。分析表明,在上游来水不变或减少的情形下,保持现状土地利用模式,将会逐步耗竭地下水资源,加速民勤绿洲的荒漠化过程的发生;如果调整作物种植结构、采用节水灌溉技术,将会减少地下水抽取量,减缓地下水位下降的趋势。     

Optimal schemes of groundwater exploitation for prevention of seawater intrusion in the Leizhou Peninsula in southern China

The Lei-Qiong Depression Zone, near the Leizhou Peninsula in southern China, consists of unconsolidated sediments of 500-3,000 m thickness. Groundwater occurs in a multi-aquifer system in the Leizhou Peninsula. The aquifers receive recharge from precipitation, canal and reservoir infiltration, and discharge mainly through subterranean drainage into the sea. Artificial pumping for drinking and agricultural purposes is another way of groundwater discharge. Groundwater development along the coast faces the threat of seawater intrusion. A quasi-three-dimensional finite element model, containing 457 nodes and 833 elements, has been used to simulate the spatial and temporal distribution of groundwater levels in the three-aquifer system. Verification of various aquifer parameters and boundary conditions was performed with the simulation model. Linear programming models have been developed for groundwater exploitation within the two confined aquifers. The objective function of the models is to maximize the total groundwater pumpage from the confined aquifers. Control of seawater intrusion is examined by restricting the water levels at points along the coast and the withdrawal rates in coastal management cells. A response matrix approach was used in the optimization models. The response matrix was obtained from the simulation model by forecasting drawdown produced by pumping at a unit impulse discharge. Groundwater development in the Leizhou Peninsula can be primarily optimized by allocating the pumping rates of the management cells.     

水力联系系数法定量评价含水层之间水力联系

为了定量研究与评价含水层之间地下水水力联系程度,首次提出了水力联系系数C（hydraulic connection coefficient）的概念。将水力联系系数C定义为观测孔目的含水层水位降深与该观测孔位置抽水含水层水位降深的比值。通过水力联系系数,可定量评价某含水层水平上同层之间和垂向上不同含水层之间的水力联系程度。依据鄂尔多斯盆地白垩系洛河组各含水层段的水力联系系数C值,将含水层之间水力联系分为5个等级。其中,0.000 0 ≤ C<0.062 5,0.062 5 ≤ C<0.125 0,0.125 0 ≤ C<0.250 0,0.250 0 ≤ C<0.500 0,C ≥ 0.500 0,分别代表水力联系等级为极弱、弱、中等、强、极强。以高家堡井田钻孔抽（放）水试验数据为例,采用水力联系系数和观测孔水位响应时间两个指标定量评价了区内巨厚层状非均质洛河组含水层内部水力联系。结果表明：洛河组中上段水平同层之间的水力联系系数分别为0.373 0、0.413 8,观测孔水位响应时间较短（约为5 min）,水力联系强;洛河组下段水平同层之间水力联系系数分别为0.440 1、0.491 1,观测孔水位响应时间较短（为9~20 min）,水力联系强;洛河组中上段与下段垂向水力联系系数分别为0.000 2、0.007 2、0.089 7,观测孔水位响应时间较长（大于60 min）,水力联系极弱至弱。     

Pumping decisions for sustainable development of groundwater resources in areas of grassland degradation: a case study in Lanqi Banner, Inner Mongolia, China

The best planting alternatives for satisfying high water use demands of forage and fodder crops in a region of Inner Mongolia, China, were determined by a multiobjective distributed-parameter groundwater management model. These alternatives took account of different cropping patterns and pumping decisions associated with both temporal and spatial aspects of water allocation. The model was developed for phreatic, homogenous, and isotropic aquifers using the response matrix technique of quadratic programming theory and, in this case, using the alternative direction implicit (ADI) scheme. Model solutions using effective rainfall with a probability of 50%, show that average water table drawdown in the planning period (2006–2017) is 0.22 m and the groundwater fluctuation in each pumping well is very low. In order to evaluate the pumping decisions under an effective rainfall with a probability of 75%, a sensitive analysis was also conducted. Analysis shows that it is useful to apply the results from the proposed model to control the landscape degradation due to overgrazing and overpumping activities.     

Numerical Simulation of Groundwater Flow and Vulnerability in Wadi El-Natrun Depression and Vicinities,West Nile Delta,Egypt

During the last 25 years, rapid and unplanned land reclamation activity has been carried out in the areas located in both south and east of Wadi El - Natrun Depression of Egypt. Accordingly, negative effects on groundwater levels and vulnerability are frequently caused by localized high levels of abstraction and the return-flow of polluted irrigation water respectively. A groundwater model is a computational method that presents an approximation of an underground water system. In this study the groundwater system is simulated both in quantity and quality by using Mass Balance Transfer Model (NETPATH), Groundwater Modeling System (GMS) and DRASTIC Model to investigate the water - rock interactions, groundwater levels drawdown and vulnerability respectively. Three main geochemical processes namely dedolomitisation, dissolution of halite and silicate weathering were estimated during the flow path. The present over-abstraction of groundwater (105.84 million m³/year) has induced a general head drawdown from 3 to 40 m in years 2015 and 2050 respectively. Best estimate using a 3D GMS hydraulic model was (157000 m³/day) a strategy proposed for the management of groundwater without critical depletion (second scenario). The results document the extent to which a high drawdown can greatly reach 4 m by the end of simulation year 2050. The vulnerability maps of groundwater were constructed using the DRASTIC index method. The results indicated that, the southeastern and central portions of the study area are having high vulnerability rate (> 110). Modified DRASTIC map showed many more dominant high risk areas in the eastern parts of the study area that were low risk, which may be attributed to return flow of polluted irrigation water.     

A case history of field pumping tests in a deep gravel formation in the Taipei Basin,Taiwan

33 large-diameter wells embedded in 2-m thick, 63-m deep diaphragm walls were constructed to reduce both the uplift pressures and the groundwater inflow during the excavations. As the actual thickness of the pumped aquifer is unknown, the installed wells are regarded as partial penetration wells. Single-well and multi-well pumping tests were conducted in the deep gravel formation of Taipei Basin to derive the hydraulic parameters and to investigate the drawdown characteristics at both the construction and remote sites. However, the tidal effect on the drawdown of both the pumping well and nearby observation wells was found significant. Additionally, wellbore storage, skin, and leakage need to be taken into account for deriving the hydraulic parameters. Hence, a method to remove these five factors influencing the drawdown curve is developed, which takes advantage from the late-time characteristics of drawdown data and the early-time behavior of drawdown. Some currently available semi-log graphic techniques are therefore proven applicable for parameter determination. Validity of the proposed method is verified by the good agreement between the calculated and the measured drawdown of both the pumping well and observation well.     

Environmental impact assessment using FORM and groundwater system reliability concept: case study Jining, China

In this paper, fist-order reliability method (FORM) is used to evaluate the impacts of uncertainties posed by traditional deterministic models on the environment in Jining, China. Because of groundwater contamination in shallow aquifer, and an increase in water demand, the new wells target the confined aquifer with constant pumping rate of 5,000 m³/d. Using Theis equation, the groundwater drawdown is analyzed to determine whether the confined aquifer will be contaminated. Although the piezometric level is higher than the phreatic level by 11.0 m, the risk of drawdown is still 19.49% when the pumping rate of 5,000 m³/d is maintained for 2 years. The deterministic model indicates a drawdown of 8.94 m which is lower than the maximum tolerance drawdown of 11.0 m. The sensitivity and uncertainty analysis reveal that the model result is more sensitive to transmissivity than specific yield, while the reliability analysis offers significant information for the decision makers. This approach exposes and minimizes the risk of undesirable consequences such as groundwater contamination.     

Land subsidence in Bangkok, Thailand

Land subsidence from deep well pumping has been affecting Bangkok for the past 35 years. Its impact is particularly critical because of the flat low-lying topography and the presence of a thick soft clay layer at the ground surface that augment flood risk and foundation engineering problems, respectively. The subsidence reached its most critical state in the early 1980s when it occurred at a rate as high as 120 mm/year. The rate decreased in the subsequent period but the subsidence-affected area expanded following the growth of the city. Despite various attempts implemented to remedy the crisis, groundwater pumping from the thick aquifer system underneath the city continued to increase from 1.2 million m³/day in the early 1980s to more than 2.0 million m³/day at the turn of the century. Piezometric levels in the main aquifer layers had been drawn down by as much as 65 m. Monitoring data showed a clear correlation between the subsidence and piezometric drawdown. The data suggested that for 1 m³ of groundwater pumped out in Bangkok Plain, approximately 0.10 m³ of ground loss occurred at the surface. Significant development has been made in numerical methods for prediction of differential settlements between building foundations caused by the piezometric drawdown in the aquifers. The strict mitigation measures adopted recently, comprising a pricing policy for groundwater management, an expansion of tap water supply, and strict enforcement of groundwater laws, have resulted in a marked drop in groundwater use. However, the land subsidence will continue for a long while owing to the time-dependent consolidation behavior of the soft clay layer and clay aquitards.     

Quantitative assessment of the impact of an inter-basin surface-water transfer project on the groundwater flow and groundwater-dependent eco-environment in an oasis in arid northwestern China

Inter-basin water transfer projects (IBWTPs) can involve basins as water donors and water receivers. In contrast to most studies on IBWTPs, which mainly impact the surface-water eco-environment, this study focuses on the impacts of an IBWTP on groundwater and its eco-environment in a water donor basin in an arid area, where surface water and groundwater are exchanged. Surface water is assumed to recharge groundwater and a groundwater numerical simulation model was constructed using MODFLOW. The model was used to quantitatively evaluate the impact of an IBWTP located in the upstream portion of Nalenggele River (the biggest river in the Qaidam basin, Northwest China). The impact involved decrease in spring flow, drawdown of groundwater, reduction in oasis area, and an increase in species replacement of oasis vegetation in the midstream and downstream of the river. Results show that the emergence sites of springs at the front of the oasis will move 2–5 km downstream, and the outflow of springs will decrease by 42 million m³/a. The maximum drawdown of groundwater level at the front of the oasis will be 3.6 m and the area across which groundwater drawdown exceeds 2.0 m will be about 59.02 km², accounting for 2.71% of the total area of the oasis. Under such conditions, reeds will gradually be replaced by Tamarix, shrubs, and other alternative plant species. These findings have important implications for the optimization of water resource allocation and protection of the eco-environment in arid regions.     

Heat transfer modelling of the Leibnitzer Feld aquifer,Austria

The impact of groundwater heat pumps on groundwater temperature is simulated by means of a 2D numerical groundwater model in the Leibnitzer Feld aquifer, Austria. The model provides a basis for assessing the regional use of groundwater temperature as an energy source. Since the groundwater table is shallow, the air temperature represents the main source controlling the groundwater temperature. A temperature input function depending on the depth of the groundwater table is delineated from an observed soil temperature profile and the air temperature. Given the diffuse and ubiquitous nature of the heat input, the heat exchange is implemented as a third type boundary condition to enable two-way heat transfer. The temperature of the reinjected water is limited to a decrease of 5 K and an absolute minimum of 5°C by Austrian law. The pumping rates needed to cover the heat requirements of three typical users are determined for selected locations. It is shown that the reduction of the ambient groundwater temperature approximately 300 m downstream of the reinjection wells is less than 0.5°C. Thus it can be concluded that aquifers in similar settings show substantial potential to provide heating and warm water supply for buildings without deteriorating the regional groundwater temperature regime.     

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.