Groundwater Dam Research Articles

Integrated operation of sand dam and groundwater dam to increase water supply capacity in mountainous areas of Chuncheon, South Korea

Study regionA valley area in South Korea Study focusSand dams are cost-effective water-storage facilities for water-stressed areas in arid and semi-arid climates, with the advantages of reducing evaporation losses and filtering pollutants. Generally, sand dams are constructed by placing a horizontal barrier across the river bed, creating a naturally sand-filled structure upstream. Unlike this typical construction, a sand dam in Korea in the monsoon climate region was built near a mountainous valley, not in a stream, in Mulori, Chuncheon City, to ensure a sustainable water supply throughout the year, and especially to prevent freezing in the winter. Furthermore, a small-scale groundwater dam was additionally constructed downstream of the sand dam to increase the water supply capacity in preparation for severe droughts. In this study, the hydrological reservoir-routing simulations were performed to evaluate the effects of the combined use of the two dams on increasing water supply. New hydrological insights for the regionDaily discharge rates for the period from March 16, 2020 to July 6, 2022 were simulated for several hybrid operations that supplies water primarily through the sand dam under the normal conditions, but combines both water sources to manage severe droughts. The simulated results showed that, compared with operating the sand dam alone, the hybrid operations could satisfy the village’s water demand by increasing the minimum water supply rates by 24.6–50.0 m³/day for different simulation conditions. The combined use of sand and groundwater dams presented in this study will help provide sustainable water supply in water-stressed areas, especially mountainous uplands vulnerable to droughts and freezes.

GIS-based multi-criteria decision analysis for groundwater dam site selection in an arid and semi-arid region of Algeria

Securing reliable water resources in arid and semi-arid regions poses a significant challenge for decision-makers, especially under recent droughts and projected climate change. This need is particularly acute in the M'zi Wadi basin, located in the north-central part of Algeria, where its surface water projects are challenged by low and erratic rainfall coupled with high water evaporation, adversely impacting its water resources sustainability. Implementing water harvesting techniques in such arid regions, specifically groundwater dams, can be regarded as an effective water scarcity adaptation strategy, and their effectiveness is dependent on the optimal site selection which must consider many complex criteria. The paper aims to identify potential sites for groundwater dams in the M'zi Wadi basin using a multi-criteria decision-making approach in a GIS environment based on seven socio-economic and natural factors such as rainfall, stream order, land use/land cover (LULC), geology, Topographic wetness index (TWI), and distances from faults and villages. The results showed that approximately 1.27% of the M'zi Wadi basin area is highly suitable for groundwater dam siting. Four candidate sites were identified as having favourable conditions for installing new groundwater dams based on field and geophysical survey data conducted along the alluvial aquifer of the M'zi Wadi basin, and the remaining areas were deemed unsuitable due to specific constraints. The suitability of the selected sites was validated through a comparative analysis with existing groundwater dams. The results of the present study could offer valuable insights for decision-makers at all levels, facilitating informed judgments during the initial planning of groundwater dam construction. Furthermore, the methodology can be replicated in other data-scarce regions under similar arid climate conditions.

Ownership and exploitation of water drained by galleries and groundwater dam in the Southeast of Spain

La calidad de las aguas alumbradas por pozos horizontales cubiertos (galerías), asociadas o no con presas subálveas, desata un enorme interés por su apropiación en medios áridos y semiáridos donde los recursos hídricos son escasos. El objeto de estudio de este trabajo es conocer las prácticas de alumbrar y explotar las aguas de freáticos próximos a la superficie del territorio, concretamente los recursos de la circulación subsuperficial en las ramblas de Béjar, Nogalte, Vilerda y Goñar en el sector noroccidental de la depresión prelitoral murciana (sureste de España). Se trata de aprovechamientos hídricos históricos organizados como comunidades de propietarios de aguas. Son modelos de sostenibilidad en su explotación para usos del agua en abastecimientos y regadíos, que también incorporan el valor de adaptación a sucesos extremos de sequías e inundaciones. La metodología es la del análisis geográfico regional aplicado al estudio de casos (sistemas socio-hídricos) de forma diacrónica y comparada, con amplio trabajo de campo y consulta de fuentes documentales, con entrevistas a los gestores y usuarios de estos sistemas de captación y distribución del agua. Los casos estudiados ponen de manifiesto que son sistemas sostenibles de aprovechamiento de agua que facilitan el desarrollo local en medios semiáridos como el sureste ibérico.

Ownership and exploitation of water drained by galleries and groundwater dam in the Southeast of Spain

Ownership and exploitation of water drained by galleries and groundwater dam in the Southeast of Spain

Delineation of suitable sites for groundwater dams in the semi-arid environment in the northeast of Iran using GIS-based decision-making method

Competing commercial demands on water resources need to be balanced as the world's population rises. Generally, groundwater is raised by subsurface dams. In this paper, the geographic information system (GIS) software and a decision-making method were applied. As the first step, the limitations that affect the establishment of the subsurface dam were identified using eliminating criteria by the Boolean logic. Regarding the second step, the most appropriate axis was determined for subsurface dam construction in each of the limits. The analytical hierarchy process (AHP) was applied according to the evaluation criteria in this study. The aim of using AHP was to weigh and prioritize the criteria of the groundwater dam for recognizing appropriate sites. Among various places and regarding the subsurface dam construction, AHP was conducted using a hierarchy process for finding the most suitable sites in the third stage of the decision-making method. Finally, among the ten appropriate sites, cross comparison was drawn by using Decision Expert (DEX), Evaluation based on Distance from Average Solution (EDAS), and Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). Compared together (as a process of decision-making), DEX, TOPSIS, and EDAS methods assisted in ranking the most appropriate sites in the final step of subsurface dam pre-selection. A and C axes obtained scores between 1 and 2, among 10 axes according to the numerically ranked locations. Regarding the water shortage issue and better management of the underground water at certain levels, the findings of this study could be useful for the residents of Kajbid-Balaqly Watershed in the dry season. Further, water managers can use the above-mentioned methods for their decisions regarding the proper subsurface dam establishment.

Conjunctive Operation of Surface and Subsurface Dams Based on Drought Severity

As an effective water management method to respond to the increasing severity of drought, this study proposed a conjunctive operation using a surface reservoir and subsurface dams. The proposed methodology predicts the probable rainfall according to the drought severity and the water demand, and uses these as the basis for water allocation. Sokcho City, located in South Korea, was used as the study case. Sokcho is a tourist city that has suffered from water shortages for many years due to its excessive dependence on a single groundwater dam. Considering conjunctive operation, drought frequency, and drought duration, a total of 80 cases under four scenarios were generated and simulated to determine the water supply capability over the entire year. The results indicate that domestic water can be supplied throughout the year with appropriate water allocation, even when a once-in-50-year drought lasts for 120 days. Furthermore, the water supply potential, which is the additionally available capacity in a reservoir, was used to assess the effects of conjunctive operation. It was estimated that, for a once-in-10-year drought, up to 318% of the annual water demand was available in the reservoir. As the proposed methodology is relatively simple, it offers a useful water resource management tool for sites with similar social and environmental conditions.

CALCULATION OF THE MORPHOMETRIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CLOSURE CHANNEL AND THE EXTREME DISCHARGE DURING BREAKTHROUGHS OF GROUND DAMS

The work is devoted to the calculation of the size of the closure channel in the ground dams when water is poured from the water reservoir through peak and the extreme discharge of the dam break wave. The authors analyzed the methods of calculation prescribed in regulations and recommended by regulatory authorities. The calculation was made of the morphometric characteristics of the closure channel and extreme discharge of the dam break wave by various methods for specific objects, the comparison with expert estimates of these parameters. It is noted that the method, described in two regulations, has no physical justification, because according to it the size of closure channel and the parameters of breakthrough wave do not depend on the initial volume of water in the reservoir. The calculation method in the third regulation, does not take into account such factor as the time of erosion and the results are different at times with different specified step of erosion depth. This regulation is characterized by the use of empirical relations, which have a rather narrow range of use, and a lack of account of the relationship between the formation of the closure channel and the value of water discharge. Due to the lack of validity of the recommended calculation methods and large variation with expert estimates prescribed in the regulations, there is a need to create new alternative methods of calculation. This article discusses 2 such methods developed in various organizations. The first of them indirectly takes into account the material of the dam through calculated non-eroding velocity. The second one is based on the physical process of erosion, that is distinguishe it from others. As a test of the calculated values, there were used data on several recent catastrophic breakthroughs of groundwater dams. The comparison results allow us to conclude that alternative methods give greater accuracy. Based on the previous, can be done a preliminary conclusion about the need to revise existing regulations.

Application of 1D–2D inversion of electromagnetic sounding in the study of ground water dam

Application of 1D–2D inversion of electromagnetic sounding in the study of ground water dam

Site selection for constructing groundwater dams through Boolean logic and AHP method (case study: watershed of Imamzadeh Jafar Gachsaran)

In dry and semidry regions, changes in precipitation in terms of time and level have significant fluctuations, which make management of water resources in these regions very important. The aim of this research is to first identify well-suited sites for constructing groundwater dams, such that there is no limitation for constructing such dams in these regions. For this purpose, by benefiting from Boolean logic and using the physiographic, topographic, geological, land-use, fault, and aqueduct criteria, the regions that had no limitation for constructing groundwater dams were determined. Next, using analytical hierarchy process as well as the quantity and quality criteria of water, economic and social, dam reservoir, and land use, the suitable regions for constructing groundwater dams were prioritized. The inconsistency rate in this research was obtained as 0.05. Investigation of the inconsistency rate indicated that the scoring performed for the criteria and sub-criteria studied here was acceptable. The results of prioritization of the region showed that the watershed slope is one of the most important criteria in determining suitable regions for constructing groundwater dams, and constructing dams at high slopes is not economical. The watershed slope to construct groundwater dams has been studied across all investigations dealing with site selection for groundwater dams. In this regard, the maximum slope for constructing groundwater dams has been considered as 5%. Furthermore, given the geological conditions of the region and high score of this criterion in constructing groundwater dams, this criterion should be paid more attention to in groundwater dam construction. Overall, the results indicated that the regions located in the western and central parts of the watershed had a higher score for groundwater dam construction. Considering the importance of groundwater dam in dry and semidry regions, it can be stated that by constructing groundwater dam in these regions, it is possible to improve the situation of water resources in the region.

Подземные плотины – новые возможности решения проблем горного производства и подземного выщелачивания

Подземные плотины – новые возможности решения проблем горного производства и подземного выщелачивания

Research on qanats in Spain

Different types of drainage galleries exist in Span: mina de agua, qanat, cimbra or tajea and galleries associated with a groundwater dam (buried in the bed of the channel to stop sub-surface circulation). A qanat is a type of drainage gallery located in the foothills where groundwater is captured. Qanats, also called galerias con lumbreras, minados con espejuelos, viajes de agua, or alcavons in Spain, can be seen as models for sustainable use of water in arid and semi-arid environments. Furthermore, in their local contexts, these hydraulic systems create their own landscapes and hydraulic heritage. As such, the technique is the basis for new ways of thinking about how to generate water in dry environments like the Southeast of Spain. There are several groups of Spanish researchers studying qanats and other types of horizontal wells as systems being able to generate endogenous water resources. Because of their extensive and continuous research over a number of years, the teams from the Universities of Murcia and Valencia stand out.

Validity evaluation of a groundwater dam in Oshipcheon River, eastern Korea using a SWAT–MODFLOW model

It is assumed that the groundwater dam under consideration is located in the lower Oshipcheon River along Yeongdeok-gun County, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, eastern Korea. In this study, changes in groundwater level and construction effects of the groundwater dam were analyzed using a SWAT–MODFLOW model designed for integration of surface water and groundwater, and validity analysis before and after construction of the groundwater dam was evaluated. There are an average increase of 0.46 m and a maximum increase of 1.16 m, respectively, at the upstream region due to the groundwater dam. Groundwater levels at the upstream region show an average increase of 0.42 m by the groundwater dam when the water quantity of demand (10,080 m3/day) is pumped. The groundwater dam has potential as an alternative for the surface water dam to secure water resources in the study area.

English

Wadi Ishe pilot project is a trial project set to illustrate the recharge of runoff and storage in an artificial groundwater reservoir to minimize evaporation losses and as a substitute of water supply for rural arid areas that could be used for stock watering and some agricultural activities. The HEC-Hydrologic modeling System was used to estimate the runoff potential. The model in the research will provide possibilities for the simulation of precipitation-runoff procedures. The hydrographs shows a 10 years return period with a total yearly precipitation of 44 mm and total loss of 35.3 mm gave a total runoff of 8.7 mm. The total precipitation volume for the years 2000-2010 within the catchment area was approximately 36.14 Mm³. Designed to intercept the groundwater flow in connection with a flood in the Wadi Ishe basin, an underground dam was constructed from the base of the wadi channel all the way up to the surface (about 3 m height). A well was incorporated upstream of the barrier to extract the stored water from the underground reservoir. The porosity of the refilled reservoir test section was calculated to be 20-23%. The annual storage of the subsurface reservoir is approximately around 300 m³/year, where there is an average of 5 annual rain events in that area. In the catchment area another 11 potential sites were identified using the site selection criteria that was developed. Those sites once implemented using this technique would make a clear difference in water availability and enhance development around Wadi Madoneh. With this study the in different regions of the world already applied technique of groundwater dams could be first time also effectively implemented in small arid wadi catchments by using an adapted improved new technology by combining harvesting and artificial recharge effects. Key words: Groundwater reservoir, Jordan, rainfall-runoff model, surface runoff Wadi Ishe, water harvesting.

A combined surface and groundwater storage project: the Elmadag dam (Turkey)

Considering some of the problems of surface reservoirs, such as unsteady stream flow, high evaporation losses and loss of storage owing to sediment entrapment, subsurface dams may be an effective solution in arid–semiarid regions. Combined surface and groundwater dam projects can be developed to withdraw the additional water from the porous alluvial sediments beneath the surface reservoir. We describe the investigation, construction and operation of such a hydraulic structure: the Elmadag dam, near Ankara, Turkey, which stores both surface water and groundwater behind the dam. The height of the Elmadag dam is 26 m but most of the dam wall (15 m) is located beneath the surface, and is constructed in an alluvial sand–gravel aquifer. The surface and subsurface storage capacity of the dam is 3 × 10 6 m 3 and on average 80 l s −1 was pumped between January 2014 and October 2015, which equates to a rate almost equal to the 2015 domestic water demand of Elmadag town. If the surface reservoir dries up temporarily, the dam will continue to provide a supply from groundwater. More importantly, even if the surface reservoir is filled with sediments, the dam will ensure its function by subsurface storage.

English

In the Brazilian semiarid regions, underground dams can efficiently store water under possible scenarios of climate change. However, the annual humidity vector in these regions is vertical, and annual evapotranspiration exceeds annual rainfall, resulting in the accumulation of salts in groundwater reservoirs. This study investigated over the course of two agricultural years the hydrologic behavior, soil moisture and the seasonal behavior of electrical conductivity (EC) of the irrigation water from an underground dam constructed in the Jacu watershed in a Brazilian semiarid region. The underground dam retained more soil moisture than other nearby areas during the rainy season; however, during dry periods, its storage capacity was reduced by evapotranspiration occurring inside and outside of the groundwater dam and after rainfall the same level of evaporation occurred from soil as from the dam. During the dry season the underground dam raised the concentration of salts in the irrigation water which was categorized as C4, corresponding to the far too saline irrigation water; however, in subsequent rainy seasons, the electrical conductivity of irrigation water decreased to be included in a group of low salinity of 0.95 dS m-1 (C1). The irrigation water sodicity changed from the risk of sodium accumulation to without sodium risk category.   Key words: Evapotranspiration, soil moisture, electrical conductivity, sustainability of semiarid.

Groundwater levels estimation and forecasting by integrating precipitation-based period-dividing algorithm and response surface methodology

Groundwater is one of the major sources of water supply for domestic, industrial, and agricultural purposes. Intensive water resources constructions in past decades have had huge impacts on hydrological systems. Recently, groundwater dams have received consistent attention as alternative water supply systems with minimal environmental destructions. Groundwater dams are usually of smaller capacity and costs much less compared with river dams. Therefore, it can be a very attractive solution especially for those small provincial cities suffering severe months-long drought every year. As an application of computer science technologies develops, a number of information systems are utilized for the sustainable development for water resources. Recently, groundwater dams have received consistent attention as alternative water supply systems with minimal environmental destruction. Since groundwater dams are constructed at the height close to sea level, optimal water-pumping strategy based on accurate forecasting of groundwater levels is critical to prevent seawater intrusion. However, there exist few methodologies that provide the operation guideline considering groundwater amount and quality. For this reason, the main objective of this paper is to develop a new integrated forecasting system to provide a guideline for sustainable groundwater management. To achieve this objective, the main purpose of this paper is fourfold: First, a new precipitation-based period-dividing algorithm is proposed. This algorithm can effectively apply to forecast the groundwater levels directly interacted to precipitations with high accuracy for a short-term period by using the concept of exponential smoothing and simulation. Second, an advanced estimation method for groundwater level forecasting by using response surface methodology is then proposed, which is a useful statistical tool for modeling and analysis in situations where the groundwater levels are affected by several factors, such as precipitation, temperature, and altitude. Finally, a case study for Sangchun watershed in Eastern South Korea is conducted for verification purposes.

지하댐 건설로 인한 지하수 증가량 계산 및 유황 분석

지하수 , 지하댐, 유효공극률 , 유황곡선 , 대체 수자원This paper aims to calculate the increase in groundwater quantity following groundwater dam construction, and toassess its impact on surface water. In the study area of Osib-cheon, Yeongdeok, we estimated groundwater quantity,groundwater level, and effective porosity, and examined surface water fluctuations with respect to the increasedgroundwater quantity based on the flow duration. The results reveal that the increased groundwater quantity was atmost 91,746 m

지하수 모델링을 통한 지하수댐 건설 효과 분석

SEAWAT, a linked modeling program of Visual MODFLOW was used to analyze the change in groundwater levels and salinity related groundwater dam construction in Cheongsan island, Wando-Gun, Jeollanam-Do. The steady-state model results show the groundwater flow and salinity distribution of the studied area. The groundwater flows from north-west and south-east highlands into the river, located in the middle part of the basin, and is eventually discharged to the ocean. Part of the sea water infiltrates into the river; and through the estuary`s alluvium aquifer, the sea water intrusion takes place spreading to about 830 m from the ocean. The transient model results show that after the groundwater dam construction, groundwater levels will rise to a maximum of 2.0 m upstream, and the groundwater storage will increase 21,000 after 10 years. Meanwhile 31% of the total area affected by sea water intrusion will decrease. To conclude, the groundwater dam is a very useful method for a secure water resource in preparation for drought and water shortages in the island regions.

Hydrogeological modeling for investigation of factors controlling the storage capacity of groundwater dam

A groundwater dam is generally designed and constructed at sites where an alluvial aquifer is widely formed to store groundwater for the supply of drinking water or agricultural use. A groundwater dam was planned to be constructed at Sandong-Myeon, Namwon-Si, in Korea. Three candidate sites (Site 1, Site 2, and Site 3) were considered for the construction. In this study, numerical modeling was performed to investigate the effects of the following factors on the groundwater storage capacity: (1) location of the dam, (2) thickness of the cutoff wall, (3) properties of construction materials, and (4) depth of the wall. In addition, sensitivity analyses were carried out to investigate the parameters that influence the results of modeling. Based on the results of the sensitivity analysis, the optimum installation location, hydraulic conductivity of the cutoff wall, wall thickness, and depth of the wall were suggested for the groundwater dam. Site 3 was chosen as the optimum location for the dam because it had the largest alluvial zone among the three sites. In addition, it was found that geological conditions such as the location and depth of an alluvial zone were more important factors for effective groundwater dam construction than the thickness or hydraulic conductivity of the cutoff wall.

쌍천 지하댐의 효용성 평가를 위한 지표수-지하수 통합 수문해석

In this study, the usefulness of underground dam as a means for the sustainable development of groundwater, and its performance in the management of groundwater resources were analyzed. The fully integrated SWAT-MODFLOW was applied to the Ssangcheon watershed in Korea to evaluate the effectiveness of groundwater dam construction. After construction, the groundwater level raised in the upstream area of groundwater dam while lowered in the downstream area. Also, it is shown that the exchange rate of river-aquifer interactions increased in the upper area of the dam. Since the storage capacity of the aquifer largely increased in the upper area of the dam, the exploitable groundwater could be greatly increased as much. This study demonstrated that a groundwater dam was a very useful measure to increase the available storativity of groundwater aquifers. It also represented that the combined analysis using SWAT-MODFLOW was helpful for the design and opeation of groundwater dam in the Ssangcheon watershed.