A Routing Technique for Estimating Ground–Water Recharge

A technique is presented for the estimation of ground–water recharge in a region where the formations overlying an aquifer cannot transmit all of the available water to the aquifer. The method is based on a routing model which is derived from the physical nature of formations overlying the aquifer. The model takes into account precipitation, evapotranspiration, soil moisture balance and the passage of water through strata such as boulder clay. The validity of the model is tested by calculated and field stream flow hydrographs.     

Sulfur Hexafluoride and Potassium Bromide as Groundwater Tracers for Managed Aquifer Recharge

Sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆) is an established tracer for use in managed aquifer recharge projects. SF₆ exsolves from groundwater when it encounters trapped air according to Henry's law. This results in its retardation relative to groundwater flow, which can help determine porous media saturation and flow dynamics. SF₆ and the conservative, nonpartitioning tracer, bromide (Br⁻ added as KBr), were introduced to recharge water infiltrated into stacked glacial aquifers in Thurston County, Washington, providing the opportunity to observe SF₆ partitioning. Br⁻, which is assumed to travel at the same velocity as the groundwater, precedes SF₆ at most monitoring wells (MWs). Average groundwater velocity in the unconfined aquifer in the study area ranges from 3.9 to 40 m/d, except in the southwestern corner where it is slower. SF₆ in the shallow aquifer exhibits an average retardation factor of 2.5 ± 3.8, suggesting an air-to-water ratio on the order of 10⁻³ to 10⁻² in the pore space. Notable differences in tracer arrival times at adjacent wells indicate very heterogeneous conductivity. One MW exhibits double peaks in concentrations of both tracers with different degrees of retardation for the first and second peaks. This suggests multiple flowpaths to the well with variable saturation. The confining layer between the upper two aquifers appears to allow intermittent connection between aquifers but serves as an aquitard in most areas. This study demonstrates the utility of SF₆ partitioning for evaluating hydrologic conditions at prospective recharge sites.     

Recharge and aquifer response: Northern Guam Lens Aquifer, Guam, Mariana Islands

The Northern Guam Lens Aquifer is an island karst aquifer in uplifted young, highly conductive limestone. Calculations of recharge based on differences between daily rainfall and daily pan evaporation suggest that the maximum annual mass of water delivered to the freshwater lens is about 67% of mean annual rainfall. Hydrographs of daily well-level responses plotted against daily rainfall indicate that the rate at which water is delivered to the lens is a function of rainfall intensity and the relative saturation of the vadose zone. Together, these variables determine the degree to which stormwater is shunted into fast flow through preferred pathways that bypass the bedrock matrix, rather than percolating slowly through the bedrock matrix.

Data from the 40-year interval from 1956 to 1995 show that some 17% of rainfall on northern Guam arrives in small amounts (<0.6 cm/day). Most of this light rainfall is probably lost to evapotranspiration. At least another 20% of total rainfall on Guam arrives at very high intensities (>5.0 cm/day), which tend to promote fast flow at the expense of percolation. Rapid recovery of the water table from rapid recharge suggests that the lens either takes such recharge into storage very rapidly, discharges it rapidly without taking it into storage, or some combination of both. Significant vadose buffering of recharge to the lens is indicated by the fact that simulations assuming that the recharge from precipitation received in any given month is transmitted to the lens during the same month consistently over-predict observed peak mean monthly water levels and under-predict the minima.     

Hydrobiological Investigations of the Water Quality of the Water Supply Reservoirs Husinec and Římov

The two eutrophicated reservoirs Husinec (2.6 km³, 35 ha, z_max 18 m, MQ 1.87 m^3/s) and ?ímov (34.5 hm³, 216 ha, z_max 44 m, MQ 4.14 m^3/s) show concentrations of total phosphorus of 10… 50 mg/m³ and chlorophyll contents of 7… 36 mg/m³ in the summer season. For both reservoirs a good correlation exists between the chlorophyll concentration and the density of the phytoplankton (20 · 10³… 13 · 10⁶ ind./l). With average concentrations of 10… 20 mg/m³ chlorophyll a in summer, the water can be treated for producing drinking water only at a higher expenditure. The water quality will be improved by a reduction of the phosphorus load.     

Recharge estimates for various land uses in the Guarani Aquifer System outcrop area

ABSTRACT

The Guarani Aquifer System (GAS) is a subsurface reservoir that contains the largest volume of fresh groundwater in South America. Despite the relevance of the GAS, a lack of attention has been paid to land use effects on its recharge. We present the most detailed long-term (2004–2011) results of land-use effects on recharge in an outcrop area of the GAS. Water table fluctuations (WTFs) were measured at 11 monitoring wells, which are distributed between different land uses (i.e. eucalyptus, sugarcane, citrus and grassland). Recharge was estimated using a point-scale method (WTF) for each monitored well. The annual recharge estimates for different land uses are eucalyptus forest (135 mm year^-1), sugarcane (248 mm year^-1), citrus areas (296 mm year^-1) and grassland (401 mm year^-1). The results indicate that the evapotranspiration seems to be a key parameter in the assessment of recharge in the study area.     

Optimal Decision Making Algorithm for Managed Aquifer Recharge and Recovery Operation Using Near Real‐Time Data: Benchtop Scale Laboratory Demonstration

Aquifers show troubling signs of irreversible depletion as climate change, population growth, and urbanization lead to reduced natural recharge rates and overuse. One strategy to sustain the groundwater supply is to recharge aquifers artificially with reclaimed water or stormwater via managed aquifer recharge and recovery (MAR) systems. Unfortunately, MAR systems remain wrought with operational challenges related to the quality and quantity of recharged and recovered water stemming from a lack of data‐driven, real‐time control. This paper presents a laboratory scale proof‐of‐concept study that demonstrates the capability of a real‐time, simulation‐based control optimization algorithm to ease the operational challenges of MAR systems. Central to the algorithm is a model that simulates water flow and transport of dissolved chemical constituents in the aquifer. The algorithm compensates for model parameter uncertainty by continually collecting data from a network of sensors embedded within the aquifer. At regular intervals the sensor data is fed into an inversion algorithm, which calibrates the uncertain parameters and generates the initial conditions required to model the system behavior. The calibrated model is then incorporated into a genetic algorithm that executes simulations and determines the best management action, for example, the optimal pumping policy for current aquifer management goals. Experiments to calibrate and validate the simulation‐optimization algorithm were conducted in a small two‐dimensional synthetic aquifer under both homogeneous and heterogeneous packing configurations. Results from initial experiments validated the feasibility of the approach and suggested that our system could improve the operation of full‐scale MAR facilities.     

Quantifying Modern Recharge and Depletion Rates of the Nubian Aquifer in Egypt

Egypt is currently seeking additional freshwater resources to support national reclamation projects based mainly on the Nubian aquifer groundwater resources. In this study, temporal (April 2002 to June 2016) Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE)-derived terrestrial water storage (TWS_GRACE) along with other relevant datasets was used to monitor and quantify modern recharge and depletion rates of the Nubian aquifer in Egypt (NAE) and investigate the interaction of the NAE with artificial lakes. Results indicate: (1) the NAE is receiving a total recharge of 20.27 ± 1.95 km³ during 4/2002?2/2006 and 4/2008–6/2016 periods, (2) recharge events occur only under excessive precipitation conditions over the Nubian recharge domains and/or under a significant rise in Lake Nasser levels, (3) the NAE is witnessing a groundwater depletion of ? 13.45 ± 0.82 km³/year during 3/2006–3/2008 period, (4) the observed groundwater depletion is largely related to exceptional drought conditions and/or normal baseflow recession, and (5) a conjunctive surface water and groundwater management plan needs to be adapted to develop sustainable water resources management in the NAE. Findings demonstrate the use of global monthly TWS_GRACE solutions as a practical, informative, and cost-effective approach for monitoring aquifer systems across the globe.     

Associations Between Rural Land Uses and Ground Water Quality in the Ogallala Aquifer, Northwest Texas

Recent nitrate, chloride, and bromide concentrations were studied in the Ogallala Aquifer of northwest Texas. The study included 361 wells with a median depth of 92 m in a rural area dominated by agricultural activity and oil and gas production. Only five observations surpassed the 44.3 mg/L standard for nitrate (10 mg/L NO₃-N). Four other observations, and one from the preceding set, exceeded the secondary standard of 250 mg/L for chloride. Maximum concentrations were 91.2 mg/L, 1530 mg/L, and 0.70 mg/L for nitrate, chloride, and bromide, respectively. Chloride/bromide ratios covered a broad range, from 30.4 to 10930, but medians were < 160 for each of two years analyzed. There were statistically significant correlations between nitrate and chloride, and chloride and well depth. Results of this study suggest that agricultural activity has locally impacted ground water in north-west Texas. Regionally, low aquifer recharge rates have curtailed ground water contamination from potentially adverse land uses.     

Preliminary Observation of Complex Salt‐Fresh Water Mixing in a Beach Aquifer

Continuous observations of beach groundwater salinity over a 35‐d period from a monitoring well established in the intertidal zone of a coastal harbor provided intriguing data on the interaction in the intertidal zone between the salt and fresh groundwater. During the monitoring period of the study, both semidiurnal variations and longer temporal trends in groundwater salinity were observed. The semidiurnal salinity variations were observed to occur nearly synchronously, but inconsistently with the tides. However, the salinity relationship with the tides was more complex, switching back and forth from being in‐sync (higher salinities at high tide) to out‐of‐sync (higher salinities at low tide) a total of four times during the 35‐d test period. The longer temporal trends showed chloride concentration (representing salinity) varying from as low as 50 mg/L to as high as 3600 mg/L over a period of between 9 to 12 d. The observations from the monitoring well reveal a complex pattern likely resulting from a combination of tidal pumping, density‐induced convection, and changes in the terrestrial hydraulic gradient. However, these observations are based upon data from only one monitoring well, and are speculative at this point. A more thorough study of the complex fresh water‐saline water relationship in the intertidal zone seems to have merit.     

Improved Recharge Estimation from Portable,Low‐Cost Weather Stations

Groundwater recharge estimation is a critical quantity for sustainable groundwater management. The feasibility and robustness of recharge estimation was evaluated using physical‐based modeling procedures, and data from a low‐cost weather station with remote sensor techniques in Southern Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada. Recharge was determined using the Richards‐based vadose zone hydrological model, HYDRUS‐1D. The required meteorological data were recorded with a HOBO^TM weather station for a short observation period (about 1 year) and an existing weather station (Abbotsford A) for long‐term study purpose (27 years). Undisturbed soil cores were taken at two locations in the vicinity of the HOBO^TM weather station. The derived soil hydraulic parameters were used to characterize the soil in the numerical model. Model performance was evaluated using observed soil moisture and soil temperature data obtained from subsurface remote sensors. A rigorous sensitivity analysis was used to test the robustness of the model. Recharge during the short observation period was estimated at 863 and 816 mm. The mean annual recharge was estimated at 848 and 859 mm/year based on a time series of 27 years. The relative ratio of annual recharge‐precipitation varied from 43% to 69%. From a monthly recharge perspective, the majority (80%) of recharge due to precipitation occurred during the hydrologic winter period. The comparison of the recharge estimates with other studies indicates a good agreement. Furthermore, this method is able to predict transient recharge estimates, and can provide a reasonable tool for estimates on nutrient leaching that is often controlled by strong precipitation events and rapid infiltration of water and nitrate into the soil.