Seasonal Recharge Research Articles

An Integrated Approach Toward Sustainability via Groundwater Banking in the Southern Central Valley, California

AbstractIntensive groundwater withdrawals in California have resulted in depletion of streams and aquifers in some regions. Agricultural managed aquifer recharge (Ag‐MAR) initiatives have recently been piloted in California to mitigate the effects of unsustainable groundwater withdrawals. These initiatives rely on capturing wet‐year water and spreading it on large areas of irrigated agricultural lands to enhance recharge to aquifers. While recharge studies typically consider local effects on aquifer storage, few studies have investigated Ag‐MAR benefits and challenges at a regional scale. Here we used the Integrated Water Flow Model, to evaluate how Ag‐MAR projects can affect streamflows, diversions, pumping, and unsaturated zone flows in the southern Central Valley, California. We further tested the sensitivity of three different spatial patterns of Ag‐MAR, each chosen based on different thresholds of soil suitability, on the hydrologic system. This study investigates how the distribution of Ag‐MAR lands benefit the regional groundwater system and other water balance components. The results suggest that Ag‐MAR benefits vary as a function of the location of Ag‐MAR lands. Stream‐aquifer interactions play a crucial factor in determining the ability to increase groundwater storage in overdrafted basins. The results also indicate that Ag‐MAR projects conducted during the November–April recharge season have implications for water rights outside of the Ag‐MAR season. If not properly monitored, Ag‐MAR can cause a rise of groundwater table into the root zone, negatively impacting sensitive crops. Our work also highlights the benefits of using an integrated hydrologic and management model to evaluate Ag‐MAR at a regional scale.

Tracing natural groundwater recharge to the Thiaroye aquifer of Dakar, Senegal

Urban groundwater in Sub-Saharan Africa provides vital freshwater to rapidly growing cities. In the Thiaroye aquifer of Dakar (Senegal), groundwater within Quaternary unconsolidated sands provided nearly half of the city’s water supply into the 1980s. Rising nitrate concentrations traced to faecal contamination sharply curtailed groundwater withdrawals, which now contribute just 5% to Dakar’s water supply. To understand the attenuation capacity of this urban aquifer under a monsoonal semi-arid climate, stable-isotope ratios of O and H and radioactive tritium (3H), compiled over several studies, are used together with piezometric data to trace the origin of groundwater recharge and groundwater flowpaths. Shallow groundwaters derive predominantly from modern rainfall (tritium >2 TU in 85% of sampled wells). δ18O and δ2H values in groundwater vary by >4 and 20‰, respectively, reflecting substantial variability in evaporative enrichment prior to recharge. These signatures in groundwater regress to a value on the local meteoric water line that is depleted in heavy isotopes relative to the weighted-mean average composition of local rainfall, a bias that suggests recharge derives preferentially from isotopically depleted rainfall observed during the latter part of the monsoon (September). The distribution of tritium in groundwater is consistent with groundwater flowpaths to seasonal lakes and wetlands, defined by piezometric records. Piezometric data further confirm the diffuse nature and seasonality of rain-fed recharge. The conceptual understanding of groundwater recharge and flow provides a context to evaluate attenuation of anthropogenic recharge that is effectively diffuse and constant from the vast network of sanitation facilities that drain to this aquifer.

Irrigation efficiency and shallow groundwater in anisotropic floodplain soils near Lake Tana, Ethiopia

AbstractField experiments were conducted (December 2014 to May 2015) in a small irrigation scheme (60 ha) to study the effect of flood irrigation on anisotropic soils with shallow groundwater in the Lake Tana floodplains of Ethiopia. Irrigation (470 ± 33 mm) was measured using V‐notches; rainfall did not occur, and the groundwater table was monitored daily using piezometers to estimate recharge from irrigated onion fields using the groundwater table fluctuation method. Recharge was influenced by applied irrigation amount, groundwater table depth, seasonal temperature variations, irrigation application efficiency and crop growth stages. The decreased deep percolation during the hottest periods and peak growth stages negatively influenced the reduction in groundwater decline caused by irrigation. The soil anisotropy also played a major role in the recharge amount: despite clay dominance in the topsoils, rapid groundwater table rises (0.02–0.56 m) were due to the presence of granular and blocky structures. Recharge was also influenced by irrigation efficiency, indicating higher recharge during periods of lower efficiency. The seasonal recharge was 34–46% of applied irrigation and there is much room for improving irrigation efficiency which is only 46 (±12) to 51 (±17)%. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Evaluation of Seasonally Classified Inputs for the Prediction of Daily Groundwater Levels: NARX Networks Vs Support Vector Machines

Farmers and stakeholders who use groundwater for irrigation need efficient and cost-effective tools to support sustainable crop production. The variation of groundwater levels at local scale and its continuous use for agriculture intensifies the demand for reliable groundwater information. However, groundwater levels are very dynamic and difficult to predict under traditional modeling approaches, and manual monitoring of wells is costly and time-consuming. Simplified but powerful machine learning models represent a practical alternative to support groundwater management decisions at the farm scale. The predictive capacity of a nonlinear autoregressive with exogenous inputs (NARX) artificial neural network (ANN) and a support vector regression (SVR) trained with a radial basis function (RBF) algorithm were evaluated for an irrigation well located in a highly productive agricultural region in the southeastern USA. We used separately multiple years of daily historical time series classified by summer (withdrawal) and winter (recharge) seasons and evaluated the impacts of this division in the models’ predictive capability. Results showed that SVR had a better modeling performance based on the mean squared error (MSE) and prediction trend for both seasons. In addition, our study suggests that the prediction of daily levels with input time series classified by seasons provides higher accuracy than using the entire withdrawal and recharge periods as a whole. Results also indicate that the recharge season becomes a linear problem, which substantially reduces the SVR modeling computational requirements. The application of our proposed modeling approach in the management of groundwater sources for irrigation provides important information, at short time scale, for the estimation of groundwater variability at local scale.

Using Water Stable Isotopes in the Unsaturated Zone to Quantify Recharge in Two Contrasted Infiltration Regimes

Core Ideas Soil water stable isotope profiles can be used to quantify groundwater recharge. Climate conditions are recorded in water stable isotope profiles of the unsaturated zone. Soil water isotope profiles provide insight into the seasonality of recharge events. A reliable estimate of recharge is needed for the sustainable management of groundwater resources. Water stable isotope (δ18O and δ2H) profiles in the unsaturated zone are frequently used to quantify groundwater recharge based on the seasonality of water isotopic compositions in precipitation. A very simple approach consists of integrating the soil water content between peak values of soil water isotopic composition, typically corresponding to precipitation signatures from warm and cold seasons. When precipitation isotopic compositions are available, a conceptual surface water isotopes budget and lumped parameter dispersion model can be computed. These models were applied on two field sites with similar permeable soils with grass cover but contrasting recharge regimes and seasonality, one in the Paris Basin (France) with continuous recharge from autumn to spring and the other in the St. Lawrence Lowlands (Quebec, Canada) with episodic recharge in fall and after snowmelt. For the two sites, the peak‐to‐peak method and isotope surface budget led to comparable recharge intensities. At least at the Paris Basin site, evaporation was shown to slightly modify the average unsaturated zone and hence groundwater isotope composition. The proposed parameterization of isotope fractionation due to evaporation allows qualitative estimation of the fraction of evaporation, at least during the recharge seasons. In spite of its simplifications and limitations, the proposed parsimonious model can give estimates of recharge in a variety of sites even if they are not well characterized, as it benefits from the large availability of monthly isotopic compositions in precipitation.

Defining a stable water isotope framework for isotope hydrology application in a large trans-boundary watershed (Russian Federation/Ukraine)

ABSTRACTStable isotopes of hydrogen (2H) and oxygen (18O) of the water molecule were used to assess the relationship between precipitation, surface water and groundwater in a large Russia/Ukraine trans-boundary river basin. Precipitation was sampled from November 2013 to February 2015, and surface water and groundwater were sampled during high and low flow in 2014. A local meteoric water line was defined for the Ukrainian part of the basin. The isotopic seasonality in precipitation was evident with depletion in heavy isotopes in November–March and an enrichment in April–October, indicating continental and temperature effects. Surface water was enriched in stable water isotopes from upstream to downstream sites due to progressive evaporation. Stable water isotopes in groundwater indicated that recharge occurs mainly during winter and spring. A one-year data set is probably not sufficient to report the seasonality of groundwater recharge, but this survey can be used to identify the stable water isotopes framework in a weakly gauged basin for further hydrological and geochemical studies.

Depth of the vadose zone controls aquifer biogeochemical conditions and extent of anthropogenic nitrogen removal

We investigated biogeochemical conditions and watershed features controlling the extent of nitrate removal through microbial dinitrogen (N2) production within the surficial glacial aquifer located on the north and south shores of Long Island, NY, USA. The extent of N2 production differs within portions of the aquifer, with greatest N2 production observed at the south shore of Long Island where the vadose zone is thinnest, while limited N2 production occurred under the thick vadose zones on the north shore. In areas with a shallow water table and thin vadose zone, low oxygen concentrations and sufficient DOC concentrations are conducive to N2 production. Results support the hypothesis that in aquifers without a significant supply of sediment-bound reducing potential, vadose zone thickness exerts an important control of the extent of N2 production. Since quantification of excess N2 relies on knowledge of equilibrium N2 concentration at recharge, calculated based on temperature at recharge, we further identify several features, such as land use and cover, seasonality of recharge, and climate change that should be considered to refine estimation of recharge temperature, its deviation from mean annual air temperature, and resulting deviation from expected equilibrium gas concentrations.

Analysis of soil water movement inside a footslope and a depression in a karst catchment, Southwest China

Soil water movement is difficult to explain with event-scale approaches, especially in karst regions. This paper focuses on investigating seasonal recharge and mean residence time (MRT) of soil water based on temporal variation of stable isotopes (δD and δ18O) and a dispersion model (DM), and discussing their differences along a footslope and a depression in a small karst catchment of southwest China. Temporal variations of the stable isotopes in precipitation and soil water within 0–100 cm profiles were monitored weekly for approximately 43 and 99 weeks. Results show that the seasonal recharge of soil water inside the footslope and the depression were similar, but the vertical flow velocity was higher implying a faster hydrological process in the footslope. The MRT of soil water (2–64 weeks) increased roughly, suggesting decreasing velocity of water displacement with increasing depth. However, the MRT at 60–100 cm depths in the depression (47–64 weeks) was obviously longer than at other sites, revealing more intensive water mixing. Furthermore, a shallower isotopic damping depth was found in the depression, indicating stronger delay and attenuation effects on base flow recharge. These results provide new insights into research on hydrological processes in karst areas.

Field nitrogen budgets and post-harvest soil nitrate as indicators of N leaching to groundwater in a Pacific Northwest dairy grass field

Dairy farms in the U.S. are expected to use farm-field nitrogen (N) budgeting techniques to determine appropriate agronomic manure application rates for crops. As part of nutrient management, post-harvest soil nitrate sampling is often relied upon to indicate the amount of N not used for crop growth during the growing season. A 4–1/2-year study was conducted that quantified the major N inputs, outputs, and residuals (soil and groundwater) at a commercial dairy field overlying a shallow unconfined aquifer in the Pacific Northwest. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the relationships between two indicators, (1) N mass residuals estimated by farm-field N budget and (2) post-harvest soil nitrate residuals, against measured groundwater nitrate-N concentrations following high seasonal recharge. A mass balance mixing-box spreadsheet model that accounts for the hydrogeologic characteristics of the site was used to quantitatively predict the impact of excess farm-field N on underlying shallow groundwater nitrate-N concentrations. Despite intensive sampling of N balance components and post-harvest soil nitrate conditions, the N-budget-predicted groundwater nitrate-N was 37% of the average field-measured early winter groundwater concentration. The post-harvest soil nitrate-predicted groundwater nitrate-N concentration was 140% of that measured in the field. Neither indicator provided a reliable prediction of the groundwater quality response to land application of nutrients using the spreadsheet model in this poorly drained/high water table setting. The mixing-box model provides a basic tool for testing hypothetical nutrient management scenarios in a variety of conditions. However, groundwater nitrate monitoring data are needed to determine actual outcomes.

Comparing potential recharge estimates from three Land Surface Models across the western US

Groundwater is a major source of water in the western US. However, there are limited recharge estimates in this region due to the complexity of recharge processes and the challenge of direct observations. Land surface Models (LSMs) could be a valuable tool for estimating current recharge and projecting changes due to future climate change. In this study, simulations of three LSMs (Noah, Mosaic and VIC) obtained from the North American Land Data Assimilation System (NLDAS-2) are used to estimate potential recharge in the western US. Modeled recharge was compared with published recharge estimates for several aquifers in the region. Annual recharge to precipitation ratios across the study basins varied from 0.01% to 15% for Mosaic, 3.2% to 42% for Noah, and 6.7% to 31.8% for VIC simulations. Mosaic consistently underestimates recharge across all basins. Noah captures recharge reasonably well in wetter basins, but overestimates it in drier basins. VIC slightly overestimates recharge in drier basins and slightly underestimates it for wetter basins. While the average annual recharge values vary among the models, the models were consistent in identifying high and low recharge areas in the region. Models agree in seasonality of recharge occurring dominantly during the spring across the region. Overall, our results highlight that LSMs have the potential to capture the spatial and temporal patterns as well as seasonality of recharge at large scales. Therefore, LSMs (specifically VIC and Noah) can be used as a tool for estimating future recharge in data limited regions.

Contrasting transit times of water from peatlands and eucalypt forests in the Australian Alps determined by tritium: implications for vulnerability and the source of water in upland catchments

Abstract. Peatlands are a distinctive and important component of many upland regions that commonly contain distinctive flora and fauna which are different from those of adjacent forests and grasslands. Peatlands also represent a significant long-term store of organic carbon. While their environmental importance has long since been recognised, water transit times within peatlands are not well understood. This study uses tritium (3H) to estimate the mean transit times of water from peatlands and from adjacent gullies that contain eucalypt forests in the Victorian Alps (Australia). The 3H activities of the peatland water range from 2.7 to 3.3 tritium units (TUs), which overlap the measured (2.9 to 3.0 TU) and expected (2.8 to 3.2 TU) average 3H activities of rainfall in this region. Even accounting for seasonal recharge by rainfall with higher 3H activities, the mean transit times of the peatland waters are < 6.5 years and may be less than 2 years. Water from adjacent eucalypt forest streams has 3H activities of 1.6 to 2.1 TU, implying much longer mean transit times of 5 to 29 years. Cation ∕ Cl and Si ∕ Cl ratios are higher in the eucalypt forest streams than the peatland waters and both of these water stores have higher cation ∕ Cl and Si ∕ Cl ratios than rainfall. The major ion geochemistry reflects the degree of silicate weathering in these catchments that is controlled by both transit times and aquifer lithology. The short transit times imply that, unlike the eucalypt forests, the peatlands do not represent a long-lived store of water for the local river systems. Additionally, the peatlands are susceptible to drying out during drought, which renders them vulnerable to damage by the periodic bushfires that occur in this region.

A contribution to the definition of the ongoing climate change and its impacts on the water resources: the case of Monte Fumaiolo (Central Italy)

Monte Fumaiolo plateau, located at 1407 m a.s.l. in Northern Apennines (Central Italy), has an extension of about 11 km2. Monte Fumaiolo plateau is constituted by a set of sub-horizontal sandstone formations (San Marino and Monte Fumaiolo sandstones), having a medium-high permeability; the plateau rests on top of a low permeability rock sequence. The plateau is a good aquifer, which gives origin to a large number of small springs and to a few large ones. The Tiber River, one of the largest in Italy, originates from Monte Fumaiolo. In spite of the scarcity of hydrometric data, this preliminary paper attempts to evaluate the water budget of the plateau and the impact of the ongoing climatic change. The results so far obtained indicate statistically significant decrease of the rainfall in winter (i.e. during the recharge season) and a strong increase of temperature, due to a linear gradient of +0.44 °C/decade. This caused a decrease of the total water yield of the plateau, which will continue if the detected trends should keep going.

Transient deformation of karst aquifers due to seasonal and multiyear groundwater variations observed by GPS in southern Apennines (Italy)

AbstractWe present GPS, hydrological, and GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) observations in southern Apennines (Italy) pointing to a previously unnoticed response of the solid Earth to hydrological processes. Transient patterns in GPS horizontal time series near to large karst aquifers are controlled by seasonal and interannual phases of groundwater recharge/discharge of karst aquifers, modulating the extensional ∼3 mm/yr strain within the tectonically active Apennines. We suggest that transient signals are produced, below the saturation level of the aquifers and above a poorly constrained depth in the shallow crust, by time‐dependent opening of subvertical, fluid‐filled, conductive fractures. We ascribe this process to the immature karstification and intense tectonic fracturing, favoring slow groundwater circulation, and to multiyear variations of the water table elevation, influenced by variable seasonal recharge. The vertical component displays seasonal and multiyear signals more homogeneously distributed in space and closely correlated with estimates of total water storage from GRACE, reflecting the elastic response of the lithosphere to variations of surface water loads. The different sensitivities of vertical and horizontal components to the hydrologically induced deformation processes allow us to spatially and temporally resolve the different phases of the water cycle, from maximum hydrological loading at the surface to maximum hydrostatic pressure beneath karst aquifers. Finally, we suggest that transient deformation signals in the geodetic series of the Apennines are correlated to large‐scale climatic patterns (Northern Atlantic Oscillation) through their influence on precipitation variability and trends at the regional scale.

Investigating the age distribution of fracture discharge using multiple environmental tracers, Bedrichov Tunnel, Czech Republic

The transit time distribution (TTD) of discharge collected from fractures in the Bedrichov Tunnel, Czech Republic, is investigated using lumped parameter models and multiple environmental tracers. We utilize time series of $$\delta ^{18}O$$ , $$\delta ^{2}$$ H and $$^3$$ H along with CFC measurements from individual fractures in the Bedrichov Tunnel of the Czech Republic to investigate the TTD, and the uncertainty in estimated mean travel time in several fracture networks of varying length and discharge. We compare several TTDs, including the dispersion distribution, the exponential distribution, and a developed TTD which includes the effects of matrix diffusion. The effect of seasonal recharge is explored by comparing several seasonal weighting functions to derive the historical recharge concentration. We identify best fit mean ages for each TTD by minimizing the error-weighted, multi-tracer $$\chi ^{2}$$ residual for each seasonal weighting function. We use this methodology to test the ability of each TTD and seasonal input function to fit the observed tracer concentrations, and the effect of choosing different TTD and seasonal recharge functions on the mean age estimation. We find that the estimated mean transit time is a function of both the assumed TTD and seasonal weighting function. Best fits as measured by the $$\chi ^2$$ value were achieved for the dispersion model using the seasonal input function developed here for two of the three modeled sites, while at the third site, equally good fits were achieved with the exponential model and the dispersion model and our seasonal input function. The average mean transit time for all TTDs and seasonal input functions converged to similar values at each location. The sensitivity of the estimated mean transit time to the seasonal weighting function was equal to that of the TTD. These results indicated that understanding seasonality of recharge is at least as important as the uncertainty in the flow path distribution in fracture networks and that unique identification of the TTD and mean transit time is difficult given the uncertainty in the recharge function. However, the mean transit time appears to be relatively robust to the structural model uncertainty. The results presented here should be applicable to other studies using environmental tracers to constrain flow and transport properties in fractured rock systems.

Flow modelling of strategically vital freshwater aquifers in Kuwait

An oil flow from the oil wells damaged during the 1991 Gulf War and the sea water used for extinguishing the resulting oil fire have contaminated the freshwater aquifers of Raudhatain and Umm Al-Aish water fields in north Kuwait. The numerical flow modelling of the aquifers was undertaken to create a calibrated and validated model that could be used in the future to explore a viable remediation strategy for the aquifers. The Environmental Visualization Software (EVS-pro) 3-D data presentation program was used to construct a conceptual model as a preliminary step. A 3-D numerical model was developed using the MODFLOW-SURFACT code that overcame the limitations of the classical MODFLOW. This model was able to combine both freshwater lenses in one model domain simulating the vadose zone together with the saturated zone. The model domain covered an area of 580 km2 encompassing the Al-Raudhatain and Umm Al-Aish basins. A steady-state model was developed first to study regional flow patterns in the aquifer. A transient model was developed subsequently to assess seasonal recharge on groundwater and investigate their effects on flow patterns. Analysis of the calibrated steady-state model output indicated that the model simulated the groundwater elevation and flow direction across the model domain to an acceptable level. The calibrated transient flow model is of significant importance to assess the vertical and lateral plume migration in the area and helps to come up with a plausible remediation strategy.

Estimating aquifer properties and distributed groundwater recharge in a hard-rock catchment of Udaipur, India

The present study determined aquifer parameters in hard-rock aquifer system of Ahar River catchment, Udaipur, India by conducting 19 pumping tests in large-diameter wells. Spreadsheet programs were developed for analyzing pumping test data, and their accuracy was evaluated by root mean square error (RMSE) and correlation coefficient (R). Histograms and Shapiro–Wilk test indicated non-normality (p value <0.01) of pre- and post-monsoon groundwater levels at 50 sites for years 2006–2008, and hence, logarithmic transformations were done. Furthermore, recharge was estimated using GIS-based water table fluctuation method. The groundwater levels were found to be influenced by the topography, presence of structural hills, density of pumping wells, and seasonal recharge. The results of the pumping tests revealed that the transmissivity (T) ranges from 68–2239 m2/day, and the specific yield (Sy) varies from 0.211 to 0.51 × 10−5. The T and Sy values were found reasonable for the hard-rock formations in the area, and the spreadsheet programs were found reliable (RMSE ~0.017–0.339 m; R > 0.95). Distribution of the aquifer parameters and recharge indicated that the northern portion with high ground elevations (575–700 m MSL), and high Sy (0.08–0.25) and T (>600 m2/day) values may act as recharge zone. The T and Sy values revealed significant spatial variability, which suggests strong heterogeneity of the hard-rock aquifer system. Overall, the findings of this study are useful to formulate appropriate strategies for managing water resources in the area. Also, the developed spreadsheet programs may be used to analyze the pumping test data of large-diameter wells in other hard-rock regions of the world.

The transfer of seasonal isotopic variability between precipitation and drip water at eight caves in the monsoon regions of China

This study presents new stable isotope data for precipitation (δ18Op) and drip water (δ18Od) from eight cave sites in the monsoon regions of China (MRC), with monthly to bi-monthly sampling intervals from May-2011 to April-2014, to investigate the regional-scale climate forcing on δ18Op and how the isotopic signals are transmitted to various drip sites.The monthly δ18Op values show negative correlation with surface air temperature at all the cave sites except Shihua Cave, which is opposite to that expected from the temperature effect. In addition, although the monthly δ18Op values are negatively correlated with precipitation at all the cave sites, only three sites are significant at the 95% level. These indicate that, due to the various vapor sources, a large portion of variability in δ18Op in the MRC cannot be explained simply by either temperature or precipitation alone.All the thirty-four drip sites are classified into three types based on the δ18Od variability. About 82% of them are static drips with little discernable variation in δ18Od through the whole study period, but the drip rates of these drips are not necessary constant. Their discharge modes are site-specific and the oxygen isotopic composition of the stalagmites growing from them may record the average of multi-year climatic signals, which are modulated by the seasonality of recharge and potential effects of evaporation, and in some cases infiltration from large rainfall events. About 12% of the thirty-four drip sites are seasonal drips, although the amplitude of δ18Od is narrower than that of δ18Op, the monthly response of δ18Od to coeval precipitation is not completely damped, and some of them follow the seasonal trend of δ18Op very well. These drips may be mainly recharged by present-day precipitation, mixing with some stored water. Thus, the stalagmites growing under them may record portions of the seasonal climatic signals embedded in δ18Op. About 6% of the thirty-four drip sites are medium-variability drips, with constant and relatively low δ18Od values in the wet season, but with variable and relatively high δ18Od values in the dry season, reflecting flow switching in the karst or evaporation inside the cave.

Assessing the Seawater Intrusion Due to Beach Wells in the Desalination Plant

Short-Term Low Volume (STLV) Sea Water Desalination Plant of 6000 m3/d is under construction in the middle area of Gaza Strip. The plant will provide desalinated water for 75,000 inhabitants in regions in Khanyounis and Rafah. The intake of desalination plant will be indirectly from four beach wells. This article aims at providing the environmental impacts of these wells on the aquifer and the mitigation measures in case of negative impacts. In order to study the impacts of beach wells on the aquifer, a prediction groundwater three-dimensional model for the beach wells area, starting from the year 2000 until year 2030, was used. MODFLOW software was used for modeling the groundwater flow and SEAWAT software was used to model the seawater intrusion effect. The aquifer parameters were set as if they were in the transient model. The long term seasonal recharge rate for the summer and winter is considered to represent the seasonal differences in recharge through each year. The study showed that the steady four-meter drawdown in the beach wells will force the flow from the eastern direction to the sea. This will have positive impacts on the aquifer since it will decrease the seawater intrusion to the aquifer. The beach wells will pump water with Cl concentration equal to 18,000 mg/l. This means that the beach wells will accelerate the flow from the aquifer to the sea direction but still the pumped water is considered as seawater. This indicates the positive impacts on the groundwater aquifer since it will decrease the seawater intrusion in the beach wells area (Gaza Strip Middle area). In conclusion, these beach wells in this desalination plant (small capacity) are safe for the groundwater aquifer and it will decrease the effect of seawater intrusion on the aquifer.

A hydropedological approach to quantifying groundwater recharge in various glacial settings of the mid‐continental USA

AbstractData from six monitoring stations were combined with a soil‐water dynamics model (HYDRUS 1D) to achieve physically‐based estimates of shallow water‐table recharge in representative hydropedological settings of the glaciated midwestern U.S.A. Calibration involved inverse modeling that yielded optimized hydraulic parameters. Root mean square errors for modeled versus measured soil moisture contents were generally within 3% for all soil layers at the six study sites. The optimized models also accurately simulated recharge values that corresponded to observed water‐table fluctuations. Optimized parameter values were consistent with estimates from a pedotransfer function, lab analyses, and field experiments. Forward modeling indicated that shallow water‐table recharge in mid‐continent glacial settings is approximately 35% of precipitation, but interannual and monthly variability is significant. Soil parent materials and horizon characteristics influence recharge primarily through their control on Ks with clay‐rich till parent materials producing values as low as 16% and coarse‐grained outwash parent materials producing values as high as 58% of precipitation. During the three‐year study period, distinct seasonality of recharge was observed with most recharge occurring in the winter (seasonal mean of all sites was 66% of precipitation) and lesser but interannually stable amounts in the spring (44%), summer (13%), and autumn (16%). This research underscores the importance of incorporating pedological information into models of soil‐water dynamics and groundwater recharge. © 2015 The Authors. Hydrological Processes published by John Wiley &amp; Sons Ltd.

An assessment of recharge estimates from stream and well data and from a coupled surface-water/groundwater model for the des Anglais catchment, Quebec (Canada)

Estimation of groundwater recharge is of critical importance for effective management of freshwater resources. Three common and distinct approaches for calculating recharge rely on techniques of baseflow separation, well hydrograph analysis, and numerical modeling. In this study, these three methods are assessed for a watershed in southwestern Quebec, Canada. A physically based surface–subsurface model provides estimates of spatially distributed recharge; two baseflow separation filters estimate recharge from measured streamflow; and a well hydrograph master recession curve technique calculates recharge from water-table elevation records. The recharge results obtained are in good agreement over the entire catchment, producing an annual aquifer recharge of 10–30 % of rainfall. The annual average estimated across all methods is 200 mm/year. High variability is obtained for the monthly and seasonal recharge patterns (e.g. respectively, 0–30 mm for September and 0–95 mm for the summer), in particular between the baseflow filters and the well hydrograph technique and between the hydrograph technique and the simulated estimates at the observation wells. Recharge occurs predominantly in the spring months for the different approaches, except for the master recession curve method for which the highest recharge estimates are obtained during the summer. The recharge distribution obtained with the model shows that the main recharge area of the aquifer is the Covey Hill region. The use of a fully integrated physically based model enables the construction of an arbitrary number of well hydrographs to enhance the representativity of the master recession curve technique.