Regional recharge assessment in the crystalline bedrock aquifer of the Kenogami Uplands, Canada

Abstract

Assessing recharge in unconfined fractured rock aquifers is a challenging task due to the discontinuous nature of this medium. In this study, a methodology is proposed based on an analytical interpretation of the regional hydraulic head profiles of an unconfined fractured rock aquifer, to determine its recharge. This calculation is conducted for a regional groundwater system based on a one-dimensional Dupuit-Forchheimer model in steady-state conditions that yields the value of the ratio of the aquifer recharge to the aquifer hydraulic conductivity. The approach is tested on a crystalline bedrock aquifer (Kenogami Uplands) of the Canadian Shield located in the Province of Quebec in Canada. The results show an average hydraulic conductivity of the aquifer of 4.3 × 10−7 m/s and a recharge equivalent to approximately 0.4% (3.5 mm/year) of precipitation. These results are in agreement with other studies conducted on similar crystalline aquifers in the Canadian Shield. Editor D. Koutsoyiannis Citation Chesnaux, R., 2013. Regional recharge assessment in the crystalline bedrock aquifer of the Kenogami Uplands, Canada. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 58 (2), 421–436.