Abstract
Surface water and groundwater are two interrelated components, where the influence of one automatically affects the quantity and quality of the other. These exchange flows are robustly influenced by some mechanisms such as permeability, lithological nature of the soil, landscape, in addition to the difference between the hydrometric height of the river and the piezometric level of groundwater. The study area of Bou Ahmed plain is vulnerable to intensive pumping mainly in the coastal fringe. The increase in water demand, due to demographic development, is accompanied by pressure on groundwater abstraction which causes significant drops of the groundwater level. The main objectives of this study are to develop Geographic Information System database and mathematical models to analyze spatial and temporal hydrogeological characteristics and hydrodynamic functioning of groundwater flow of the Bou Ahmed aquifer. The present work exhibits the characteristics of the river-groundwater exchanges in an alluvial plain. Therefore, we quantified the flows exchanged between a river and its groundwater using GIS tools along with measurements of parameters obtained by the differential gauging, which was carried out in the field, and hydrogeological boreholes data. These quantified flows, moreover, enabled us to eventually estimate the uncertainties related to the use of the GIS method. These results will also be used to support a set of groundwater simulations based on MODFLOW code in the Bou Ahmad aquifer. These models also associated with develop Geographic Information System will help to better plan, manage and control the groundwater resources of this aquifer.
Highlights
The exchanges between surface water and groundwater are complex
To calibrate the permeability values obtained by the GIS method with the experimental ones, we followed a manual calibration methodology; we have systematically modified the permeability values in order to minimize the differences between that of the flows given by the GIS method and the ones observed in the field
Computer technologies consisting of geographic information systems and numerical modelling are being progressively employed in different geo-resource domains
Summary
The exchanges between surface water and groundwater are complex. The interactions between these two elements take place by lateral subsurface flow in unsaturated soil, and by infiltration or seepage in the saturated spots. Numerous researchers have focused on the quantification of surface water-groundwater exchanges by estimating conductance [2]–[9] via the McDonald formula [10]. Both the flow and exchange of groundwater are controlled by a number of parameters. The most notable being: Firstly, the allocation and amplitude of the hydraulic conductivities at the river and the associated fluvial plain residues [13]–[15]; secondly the affiliation among the river’s stream stage and the adjacent groundwater gradients. The comparison between the two results allowed guesstimating the uncertainties associated with the use of the GIS method solely
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