Significance of river infiltration to the Port-au-Prince metropolitan region: a case study of two alluvial aquifers in Haiti

Abstract

Mountain block recharge (MBR) mechanisms are an important component of the water budget for many alluvial aquifers worldwide. The MBR dynamics are complex, difficult to constrain, and quantification is highly uncertain. These challenges are magnified in data-scarce study areas, including the Cul-de-Sac and Leogane plains, two of Haiti’s largest alluvial aquifers, which are flanked by the Massif de la Selle mountain block. The associated groundwater supplies the regional metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince (RMPP) and it is facing increasing pressure, requiring improved understanding of the aquifer system to guide management and protection. This report introduces the aquifers and investigates the significance of river infiltration from flows originating from the mountain block. The approach to derive important insight on recharge included analysis of broad datasets on piezometry, isotopes, hydrochemistry, and streamflow. The findings indicate that river infiltration is a major source of recharge to the alluvial aquifers. Grise and Blanche river infiltration may account for >80% of recharge to the Cul-de-Sac aquifer, exhibiting temporal variation correlated to climate events such as cycles of the El Niño/La Niña Southern Oscillations. Momance and Rouyone river infiltration may account for >50% of recharge to the Leogane aquifer. The results direct attention to the Massif de la Selle carbonate aquifer system, where bulk recharge is estimated to be four times greater than both alluvial aquifers. The Massif not only supplies the RMPP with ~65% of its water supply from karst springs, but its streamflow also recharges the alluvial aquifers that supply the balance of RMPP supply.