Chapter 17 - Management of Coastal Groundwater Resources

Abstract

Proper and efficient management of coastal groundwater resources is very essential and is an integral part of coastal zone management. The coastal groundwater resources are threatened due to overexploitation. Researchers are curious to understand the location of the boundary between freshwater and seawater in the aquifers. This chapter explains the concept of the seawater-freshwater interface, the identification of seawater intrusion, and methods of mitigation with two case studies. Seawater intrusion can be identified using groundwater level, concentration of ions, and resistivity values. The different types of mitigation methods for seawater intrusion are reduction in pumping, rearranging the pumping wells, recharging the groundwater, injection wells, pumping of seawater, and subsurface barriers. Groundwater modeling can be used as a tool to understand the dynamics of seawater intrusion under different hydraulic stresses as well as planning strategies for sustainable groundwater management in coastal areas.