Local Aquifer Recharge to Stabilize Spring Discharges

Abstract

The June 1989 article by Echelle, Echelle, and Edds, Conservation genetics of a spring-dwelling desert fish, the Pecos gambusia, (Gambusia nobilis, Poeciliidae) states that the overdrafting of ground water in their study area has been responsible for drying up springs in the past and threatens to dry up more springs in the future. These springs are habitats of the Pecos gambusia, as well as other endemic fish and invertebrates. The authors stated that agricultural use of ground water is a major reason for the lowering of the water table in many of their study areas. One alternative to prevent the lowering of the water table is to regulate pumping rates. However, regulation of pumping rates is very difficult because agriculture in the West is dependent on huge withdrawals of ground water. Even if a desert area is taken out of agriculture there are other threats to ground water supplies, e.g., the growth and sprawl of western cities (Swanson 1989). Another option to prevent the drying of springs is to recharge the aquifer to stabilize or raise the local water table. Pumping and recharge wells have been successfully used in hydrogeology to divert or contain contaminant plumes in ground water (Moz & Bell 1977; Atwood & Gorelick 1985; Aral 1989). However, this author is not aware of any attempts to modify the water table to protect a biotic community dependent on ground water discharges. Figure 1 is a schematic view of a simplified aquifer. The large withdrawals caused by agricultural, residential, and industrial use create a cone of depression that changes ground water flow and lowers the water table. Eventually, the spring presented in the diagram will dry