GRAPHICAL SOLUTION OF GROUND WATER FLOW PROBLEMS

Abstract

Graphical solutions to linear and radial ground water flow problems are described. These methods are based on finite difference approximations which have been widely used in heat flow problems. The case of the leaky aquiclude and vertical recharge to unconfined aquifers is discussed as well as constant head at a control and constant discharge or recharge. These solutions are useful only when the physical factors are known and an estimate of water level changes under certain conditions is desired. The methods are not intended to replace more rigorous mathematical solutions.     

Announcements

Abstract

This paper investigates for a 25-year period the sediment distribution in a semi-arid Brazilian basin (2 × 10⁴ km²) with a network containing more than 4000 surface reservoirs. The methodology is based on rating curves and fitted parameters derived from field data. The results showed that suspended load corresponded to 70% of the total sediment yield (148 t km^-2 year^-1). The relatively low contribution of the suspended load (compared with other semi-arid regions) was attributed to the impact of the numerous upstream reservoirs, which retained 235 t km^-2 year^-1. The micro (<1 hm³), small (1–10 hm³), medium-sized (10–50 hm³), and large or strategic (>50 hm³) reservoirs responded to, respectively, 5, 17, 30 and 48% of the total sediment retention by the reservoir network. This indicates that retention in the non-strategic reservoirs has a positive impact on water availability, since siltation of the strategic reservoirs would be expected to more than double if only such reservoirs existed.

Citation Lima Neto, I. E., Wiegand, M. C. &; de Araújo, J. C. (2011) Sediment redistribution due to a dense reservoir network in a large semi-arid Brazilian basin. Hydrol. Sci. J. 56(2), 319–333.     

CHEMICAL EQUILIBRIA AFFECTING THE BEHAVIOR OF MANGANESE IN NATURAL WATER

Abstract

The solubility of manganese in natural water is strongly influenced bychemical equilibria involving Mn⁺², Mn⁺³ and Mn⁺⁴ species, redox potential, pH, and dissolved species of bicarbonate and sulfate. The solubility of manganese is shown by graphs as a function of Eh and pH in the absence of sulfate and in the presence of several different fixed activities of bicarbonate and sulfate ranging from 10 to 2,000 ppm (parts per million). Solubility is increased by the complexes MnHCO⁺ ₃ and MnSO₄ aq. whose association constants are 63 and 190, respectively.

Divalent manganese is soluble to the extent of 0.10 to 1.0 ppm at equilibrium in most ground and surface water. Manganese is more soluble than iron under most possible conditions, especially inthe Eh-pH range common in river water.     

Application of environmental tracers to study groundwater recharge in a semi-arid area of Central Tunisia

Abstract

Groundwater of the Tertiary-Quaternary Formations in the Jeloula basin (Central Tunisia), together with rain and surface waters, were analysed to investigate the mineralization processes, the origin of the water and its recharge sources. The water samples present a large spatial variability of chemical facies which is related to their interaction with the geological formations. The main sources of the water mineralization are the dissolution of evaporitic and carbonate minerals and cation exchange reactions. Stable isotopes indicate that most groundwater samples originate from infiltration of modern precipitation. Surface water samples from small dam reservoirs show a ¹⁸O/²H enrichment, which is typical of water exposed to open-surface evaporation in a semi-arid region. Considerable data of ³H and ¹⁴C allow the qualitative identification of the present-day recharge that is probably supplied by infiltration of recent flood waters in the Wadi El Hamra valley, and by direct infiltration of meteoric water through the local carbonate outcrops.

Editor D. Koutsoyiannis; Associate editor S. Faye     

Simple water balance modelling of surface reservoir systems in a large data-scarce semiarid region / Modélisation simple du bilan hydrologique de systèmes de réservoirs de surface dans une grande région semi-aride pauvre en données

Abstract

Abstract Water resources in dryland areas are often provided by numerous surface reservoirs. As a basis for securing future water supply, the dynamics of reservoir systems need to be simulated for large river basins, accounting for environmental change and an increasing water demand. For the State of Ceará in semiarid Northeast Brazil, with several thousands of reservoirs, a simple deterministic water balance model is presented. Within a cascade-type approach, the reservoirs are grouped into six classes according to storage capacity, rules for flow routing between reservoirs of different size are defined, and water withdrawal and return flow due to human water use is accounted for. While large uncertainties in model applications exist, particularly in terms of reservoir operation rules, model validation against observed reservoir storage volumes shows that the approach is a reasonable simplification to assess surface water availability in large river basins. The results demonstrate the large impact of reservoir storage on downstream flow and stress the need for a coupled simulation of runoff generation, network redistribution and water use.     

INVESTIGATION OF GROUND WATER RADIAL FLOW USING RADIOACTIVE TRACERS

Abstract

Field experiments had been made to study the effective porosity of the ground water aquifer, injecting I¹³¹ simultaneously with H³, as a reference, at different depths, in the aim of examining the influence of the depth of injection of the radioisotopes on the values obtained for the effective porosity of the aquifer under pumping conditions.

A pumped well, fully penetrating a homogeneous sandy aquifer, was chosen. Three runs were undertaken injecting the radioisotopes in a 10 metres distant observation well at three different levels. An additional run was made injecting I¹³¹ at the three depths simultaneously. In each run, the activity of the outflowing water was followed till it reached the background level.

The results indicate that the values obtained for the effective porosity of ground water aquifer using tracers are not dependent on the depth of injection of the tracer. This conclusion holds for radial flow, in homogeneous aquifers, between the observation well and the pumped well.

The percentage recovery of the injected activity was calculated.

The experiments were undertaken in Wadi El-Natrun area in the western desert of the U.A.R. The value of the effective porosity for the investigated locality was found to be 0.09.     

Hydrochemical characteristics and water quality of the Mušnica River catchment,Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abstract

The spatial position of the Mu?nica River catchment in the Dinaric Karst results in specific conditions of the drainage, distribution and chemical characteristics of the surface water and groundwater. This catchment is mountainous, located between 930 and 1985 m above sea level. The chemical characteristics of the waters are strongly dependent on the local lithological composition and the precipitation regime. The dominant cations are Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺, and anions HCO₃ ^- and SO₄ ^2-. The surface water is characterized by low and medium mineralization, with resultant soft, medium-hard and very-hard total hardness levels. The groundwater is more mineralized than the surface water. Gacko Town and its associated thermal power plant, Gacko 1, which are located in the southern part of the Mu?nica River catchment, have no modern facilities for sewage and wastewater transport or treatment. In order to prevent further water quality deterioration and to enable its sustainable use, it is recommended to ensure adequate protection measures in the catchment area.

Editor Z.W. Kundzewicz; Associate editor S. Faye

Citation Banjak, D. and Nikoli?, J., 2012. Hydrochemical characteristics and water quality of the Mu?nica River catchment, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 57 (3), 562–575.     

WATER CONTENT MEASUREMENT WITH 60 keV GAMMA RAY ATTENUATION

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the specific problems dealing with the use of Americium 241 for measuring the water content of soil sample by attenuation of low energy gamma rays. One of the advantages is that the optimum thickness of the soil sample is about 4 to 5 cm. However, one of the difficulties encountered is related to the determination of the absorption coefficient, which is generally lower than the theoretical value.

Special attention is drawn to the problems of counting losses in the gamma spectrometer system. Experimental results are presented showing the importance of the system geometry.     

OPERATING A LIMESTONE AQUIFER AS A RESERVOIR FOR A WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM

Abstract

An aquifer can be used not only as water source but also as a regulating reservoir linked to a water supply system, planning the operation of such reservoirs calls for a good knowledge of the characteristics and limitations of the aquifer, an estimate of its natural replenishment and outflows, as weil as the determination of a programme for pumping and artificial recharge.

A limestone aquifer of karstic nature, heavily exploited and artificially recharged, has been studied recently with respect to its storage capacity and responses to a planned scheme of operations established for the national water supply systems.

The physical characteristics of this aquifer, its inflows, outflows and dynamic behaviour, were first determined by geological and hydrological investigations. The dynamic model obtained was then verified and improved by use of a resistor-capacitor electric analog constructed for this purpose. Later on, several operational alternatives were tested on the same analog. An optimization analysis was performed on a simplified single cell model representing the aquifer system. The methodology of such integrational operation is discussed in light of the results obtained.     

Climate change impact on water resources availability: case study of the Llobregat River basin (Spain)

ABSTRACT

Climate change may have significant consequences for water resources availability and management at the basin scale. This is particularly true for areas already suffering from water stress, such as the Mediterranean area. This work focused on studying these impacts in the Llobregat basin supplying the Barcelona region. Several climate projections, adapted to the spatiotemporal resolution of the study, were combined with a daily hydrological model to estimate future water availability. Depending on the scenario and the time period, different assessment indicators such as reliability and resilience showed a future decrease in water resources (up to 40%), with drought periods becoming more frequent. An additional uncertainty analysis showed the high variability of the results (annual water availability ranging from 147 hm³/year to 274 hm³/year), thus making accurate projections difficult. Finally, the study illustrates how climate change could be taken into account to provide adaptive measures for the future.

Editor M.C. Acreman; Associate editor J. Thompson     

福建水库空间分布特征:沿海密度高水量少、内陆密度低水量多

水库是福建重要的水资源.通过2013-2015年遥感影像结合Google Earth和天地图提取福建水库3353座,分布在81个县区,总面积647.51 km2,约占全省土地面积的0.5%;其中面积≤1 km2水库3248座,总面积197.16 km2,面积1 km2水库105座,总面积450.35 km2.基于经验公式估算总蓄水量188.18亿m3,其中小型水库3078座(91.80%),蓄水总量37.06亿m3(19.69%),大中型水库275座(8.20%),蓄水总量151.12亿m3(80.31%).从空间分布格局来看,福建水库水资源空间分布不均,沿海六市水库密度大于三个内陆市,大中型水库主要分布于福建西北部,蓄水量呈现西北多、东南少的特点.单位陆地面积水库数量沿海城市县区均多于内陆,而单位人口水库数量则相反;单位面积水库蓄水量沿海与内陆差异不大,而人均蓄水量则沿海大部分县区远小于内陆.仅以水库作为供水水源,不能满足沿海地区用水,但内陆地区供水充足.水库蓄水对河流水体的平均滞留时间为0.053~0.341 a,除晋江流域受水库蓄水强烈影响外,其他流域受水库中等程度影响.     

Modelling spatio-temporal patterns of sediment yield and connectivity in a semi-arid catchment with the WASA-SED model

Abstract

Rainfall–runoff induced soil erosion causes important environmental degradation by reducing soil fertility and impacting on water availability as a consequence of sediment deposition in surface reservoirs used for water supply, particularly in semi-arid areas. However, erosion models developed on experimental plots cannot be directly applied to estimate sediment yield at the catchment scale, since sediment redistribution is also controlled by the transport conditions along the landscape. In particular, representation of landscape connectivity relating to sediment transfer from upslope areas to the river network is required. In this study, the WASA-SED model is used to assess the spatial and temporal patterns of water and sediment connectivity for a semi-arid meso-scale catchment (933 km²) in Brazil. It is shown how spatial and temporal patterns of sediment connectivity within the catchment change as a function of landscape and event characteristics. This explains the nonlinear catchment response in terms of sediment yield at the outlet.

Citation Medeiros, P. H. A., Güntner, A., Francke, T., Mamede, G. L. & de Araújo, J. C. (2010) Modelling spatio-temporal patterns of sediment yield and connectivity in a semi-arid catchment with the WASA-SED model. Hydrol. Sci. J. 55(4), 636–648.     

Derivation of water and power operating rules for multi-reservoirs

ABSTRACT

Water operating rules have been universally used to operate single reservoirs because of their practicability, but the efficiency of operating rules for multi-reservoir systems is unsatisfactory in practice. For better performance, the combination of water and power operating rules is proposed and developed in this paper. The framework of deriving operating rules for multi-reservoirs consists of three modules. First, a deterministic optimal operation module is used to determine the optimal reservoir storage strategies. Second, a fitting module is used to identify and estimate the operating rules using a multiple linear regression analysis (MLR) and artificial neural networks (ANN) approach. Last, a testing module is used to test the fitting operating rules with observed inflows. The Three Gorges and Qing River cascade reservoirs in the Changjiang River basin, China, are selected for a case study. It is shown that the combination of water and power operating rules can improve not only the assurance probability of output power, but also annual average hydropower generation when compared with designed operating rules. It is indicated that the characteristics of flood and non-flood seasons, as well as sample input (water or power), should be considered if the operating rules are developed for multi-reservoirs.

EDITOR D. Koutsoyiannis ASSOCIATE EDITOR not assigned     

THE WATER RESOURCES OF THE RIO GRANDE DE TARCOLES BASIN,COSTA RICA

ABSTRACT

Standard hydrological methods have been used to evaluate the water balance of a Central American river basin located in Costa Rica, for the purpose of appraising its water resources potential.

Estimates are made of the present utilization of water by each major sectorial user, and a comparison of demand and supply is presented that enables the determination of the degree of present utilisation of water resources.     

Geochemical evidence for peat bog contribution to the streamflow generation process: case study of the Vltava River headwaters,Czech Republic

ABSTRACT

A geochemical approach using stable oxygen isotopes was used to understand streamflow generation processes in the highly peaty catchment of the Rokytka Brook in the headwaters of the Vltava River, Czech Republic. The contribution of water from peat bog areas to the total surface runoff was assessed using a hydrological time series, as well as geochemical, hydrochemical and isotope-hydrological approaches for unit hydrogram separation by means of anion deficiency. Using data from the hydrological year 2008, the role of an existing peat bog in the runoff formation dynamics of the Rokytka Brook catchment was determined, and the hydrological cycle was described and assessed using stable ¹⁸O/¹⁶O isotopes. The research findings strongly support the fact that peatland areas within the studied catchment do not significantly communicate hydraulically with surface streams, and their hydrological function in this region is insignificant.

Editor M. C. Acreman; Associate editor not assigned     

Spatial soil loss risk and reservoir siltation in semi-arid Tunisia

Abstract

Soil erosion vulnerability and extreme rainfall characteristics over the Mediterranean semi-arid region of Tunisia are crucial input for estimation of siltation rate in artificial reservoirs. A comprehensive high-resolution database on erosive rainfall, together with siltation records for 28 small reservoirs, were analysed for this region, the Tunisian Dorsal (the easternmost part of the Atlas Mountains). The general life-span of these reservoirs is only about 14 years. Depending on the soil degradation in the different catchments, the corresponding reservoirs display a wide range of soil erosion rates. The average soil loss was 14.5 t ha^?1 year^?1 but some catchments display values of up to 36.4 t ha^?1 year^?1. The maximum 15-min duration rainfall intensity was used to determine the spatial distribution of rainfall erosivity. The northwestern parts of the Tunisian Dorsal display the most extreme rainfall erosivity. Spatial erosion patterns are to some extent similar; however, they vary greatly according to their location in the “soil degradation cycle”. This cycle determines the soil particle delivery potential of the catchment. In general, the northwestern parts of the Dorsal display modest soil erosion patterns due to the already severely degraded soil structure. Here, the soil surface is often the original bedrock. However, the greatest soil erosion occurs in the mid-eastern parts of the Dorsal, which represents the “degradation front”. The latter corresponds to the area with highest erosion, which is continuously progressing westward in the Dorsal. The large variation between the erosive rainfall events and the annual soil loss rates was explained by two important factors. The first relates to the soil degradation cycle. The second factor corresponds to the degradation front with the highest soil loss rates. At present this front is located at 300 m altitude and appears to be moving along an 80-km westward path starting from the east coast. A better understanding of the above can be used to better manage soils and soil covers in the Tunisian Dorsal area and, eventually, to decrease the soil erosion and reservoir siltation risk.

Citation Jebari, S., Berndtsson, R., Bahri, A. & Boufaroua, M. (2010) Spatial soil loss risk and reservoir siltation in semi-arid Tunisia. Hydrol. Sci. J. 55(1), 121–137.     

Monitoring the erosion of an expressway during its construction: problems and lessons

Abstract

The large quantities of sediment eroded from the Sydney F3 Expressway extension and the lack of defined channels within the catchment presented several problems of discharge and sediment load sampling. The monitoring equipment at the catchment outlet, namely pump samplers and capacitance-based water level sensors, was computer controlled, but for partial area monitoring manual methods were used together with Gerlach traps and erosion pins. The monitoring at the catchment outlet was cost-effective because of the use of electronic equipment. The sampling strategies are described and recommendations for future sampling programs are presented. Coarse sand and silt-clay concentrations in many samples were more than 10 g 1^?1 at the outlet. In some samples the silt-clay concentrations exceeded 30 g 1^?1 and the coarse sand concentrations 100 g 1^?1.     

WATER REPELLENT SOILS AND THEIR RELATION TO WILDFIRE TEMPERATURES

ABSTRACT

A naturally occurring water resistant soil was exposed to different burning times and temperatures after which the soil samples were tested for non-wettability. The less intense treatments produced an extremely non-wettable condition. Temperatures of 800 and 900 degrees applied for 20 minutes completely destroyed the non-wettable property. Heat treatments within the realm of soil temperatures existing during wildfires were capable of producing the extreme non-wettable condition. The increased surface runoff and erosion from burned southern California watersheds could be the result of this relationship.     

PUBLICATIONS DE L'ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONALE DES SCIENCES HYDROLOGIQUES

ABSTRACT

The purpose of an hydrometric network is to obtain data giving answers to problems raised by the use of water. The methodology suggested in this paper is essentially based on the regional identification of the actual and potential uses of water, on the estimate of the intensity of their use and on the determination of the hydrological characteristics related to this demand.

The level of accuracy required for these characteristics is an important feature in the rationalization procedure.

The various types of stations are defined according to the purpose of their use and the network considered is on a dynamic basis depending on the evolution of uses. The major results obtained for Quebec by the application of this method are described.     

Coupling two radar backscattering models to assess soil roughness and surface water content at farm scale

Abstract

Remote sensing techniques are useful for agro-hydrological monitoring at the farm scale because the availability of spatially and temporally distributed data improves agricultural models for irrigation and crop yield optimization under water scarcity conditions. This research focuses on the surface water content retrieval using active microwave data. Two semi-empirical models were chosen as these showed the best performances in simulating cross and co-polarized backscatter. Thus, these models were coupled to obtain reliable assessments of both soil water content and soil roughness. The use of the coupled model enables one to avoid using roughness measured in situ. Remote sensing images and in situ data were collected between April and July 2006 within the European Space Agency-funded project AgriSAR 2006. The images data set includes L-band in HH, VV and VH polarizations acquired from the airborne E-SAR sensor, operated by the German Aerospace Centre. Results were validated using in situ soil water content and roughness measurements. The results show that reliable assessment of both soil roughness (r ² up to ?0.8) and soil water content (r ² ? 0.9) can be retrieved in fields characterized by low fractional coverage.

Editor D. Koutsoyiannis; Associate editor C. Onof

Citation Capodici, F., Maltese, A., Ciraolo, G., La Loggia, G., and D’Urso, G., 2013. Coupling two radar backscattering models to assess soil roughness and surface water content at the farm scale. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 58 (8), 1677–1689.