Hydraulic response of a tidally forced coastal aquifer, Pontal do Paraná, Brazil

Abstract

The unconfined aquifer supported by the extensive Holocene coastal plain of southern Brazil is found dissected at several places by tidally forced streams. One such unit of coastal plain, falling within the watershed limits of Pereque Stream in Parana state, was analyzed using MODFLOW to assess the surface and subsurface water components under different stress conditions. The steady-state simulation suggests that ~23,000 m3/day of water forms the total budget of the designated aquifer zone and this zone discharges ~16,000 m3/day across the interface between the freshwater aquifer zone and the sea as direct submarine discharge. The maximum evaporation loss was assumed to be 2,700 m3/day. Any change in effective aquifer storage was insignificant, as there is no large-scale exploitation of local groundwater reserves. A calibration exercise, based on field measurements lasting 1 year, supports validity of the model considered. Simulations representing two different transient conditions point to the dynamic hydraulic response exhibited by the aquifer. A schematic map, showing directions and velocity of subsurface flows, and a three-dimensional model of the groundwater reserve helped to visualize the hydrogeologic changes and to formulate management plans.