Surface Groundwater Research Articles

Creating the Distribution Map of Groundwater for Drinking Uses Using Physio-Chemical Variables; Case Study: Al-Hilla City, Iraq

Surface water and groundwater are significant for population and other activities due to the decreasing surface water flow toward Iraq. Therefore, there is a need to analyze groundwater’s quality and classification and its applicability as an alternative in various human activities in the study area. This study utilized the groundwater quality index model for drinking uses (GW.Q.I.) and entered the resulting values in the GIS environment. This model was applied to 56 wells in Al-Hillah city by measuring twelve variables in each well. The measured variables were calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na), chloride (Cl), sulfate (SO4), bicarbonate (HCO3), total hardness (TH), total dissolved solids (TDS), nitrate (NO3), and electric conductivity (EC). The prediction map of GW.Q.I. was produced in the GIS. Then, the distributing map was divided into six categories based on the suitability of groundwater for drinking uses. The areas’ values of six categories with their ratings were about 5 km2 (excellent), 122 km2 (good), 610 km2 (poor), 63 km2 (very poor), 36 km2 (contaminated), and 24 km2 (very contaminated). For the entire study area, the average value of the GW.Q.I. was 177, classified as poor for drinking uses.

Hydrogeochemical signatures for sustainable use of shallow groundwater as a thermal resource at groundwater–surface water mixing zone

Hydrogeochemical signatures for sustainable use of shallow groundwater as a thermal resource at groundwater–surface water mixing zone

Integrating partitioned evapotranspiration data into hydrologic models: Vegetation parameterization and uncertainty quantification of simulated plant water use

AbstractAccurate simulation of plant water use across agricultural ecosystems is essential for various applications, including precision agriculture, quantifying groundwater recharge, and optimizing irrigation rates. Previous approaches to integrating plant water use data into hydrologic models have relied on evapotranspiration (ET) observations. Recently, the flux variance similarity approach has been developed to partition ET to transpiration (T) and evaporation, providing an opportunity to use T data to parameterize models. To explore the value of T/ET data in improving hydrologic model performance, we examined multiple approaches to incorporate these observations for vegetation parameterization. We used ET observations from five eddy covariance towers located in the irrigated San Joaquin Valley, California, to parameterize orchard crops in an integrated land surface—groundwater model. By using ET, or both ET and T data, we examined the impact of multiple model parameterization approaches ranging from simple performance metrics to the generalized likelihood uncertainty estimation method. We find that a simple approach of selecting the parameter sets based on ET and T performance metrics works best at these study sites. Selecting parameters based on performance relative to observed ET creates an uncertainty of 27% relative to the observed value. When parameters are selected using both T and ET data, this uncertainty drops to 24%. Similarly, the uncertainty in potential groundwater recharge drops from 63% to 58% when parameters are selected with ET or T and ET data, respectively. While these improvements are minor in an irrigated setting, the value of partitioning ET data may be more useful in non‐irrigated settings. Additionally, using crop type parameters results in similar levels of simulated ET as using site‐specific parameters. Different irrigation schemes create high amounts of uncertainty and highlight the need for accurate estimates of irrigation when performing water budget studies.

Integration of Electrical Resistivity and Modified DRASTIC Model to Assess Groundwater Vulnerability in the Surrounding Area of Hulene-B Waste Dump, Maputo, Mozambique

In this study, electrical resistivity was applied in six 400 m profiles around the Hulene-B waste dump (Mozambique). Afterwards, an inversion was performed by RES2Dinv. The use of the electrical resistivity method allowed us to characterize in detail some underlying aspects of the DRASTIC index by identifying anomalous zones considered to be permeable and prone to leachate migration. The modified DRASTIC index revealed high values in areas near contaminated surface groundwater and surface layers of the vadose zone, characterized by low resistivities. Areas with lower index results were characterized by high resistivity on surface layers and high depth at which groundwater was detected. The overall modified DRASTIC index result revealed medium vulnerability. However, high vulnerability index values were detected in areas with higher surface elevation, suggesting groundwater contamination by horizontal dilution of leachates from the surrounding area of the Hulene-B waste dump.

Ecological–Geochemical Conditions of Surface Water and Groundwater and Estimation of the Anthropogenic Effect in the Basin of the Ganjiang River

Ecological–Geochemical Conditions of Surface Water and Groundwater and Estimation of the Anthropogenic Effect in the Basin of the Ganjiang River

Assessing the Impact of Artificial Recharge Ponds on Hydrological Fluxes in an Irrigated Stream–Aquifer System

Artificial recharge ponds have been used increasingly in recent years to store water in underlying aquifers and modify baseline groundwater gradients or alter natural hydrologic fluxes and state variables in an aquifer system. The number of constructed ponds, their geographic spacing, and the volume of water diverted to each pond can have a significant impact on baseline system hydrologic fluxes and state variables such as groundwater head, with the latter sometimes rising to cause waterlogging in cultivated areas. This study seeks to quantify the impact of recharge ponds on groundwater state variables (head, saturated thickness) and associated fluxes within an irrigated stream-aquifer system. We use a numerical modeling approach to assess the impact of a set of 40 recharge ponds in a 246 km2 region of the South Platte River Basin, Colorado on localized groundwater head, regional groundwater flow patterns, and groundwater interactions with the South Platte River. We then use this information to determine the overall influence of recharge ponds on the hydrologic system. A linked agroecosystem–groundwater (DayCent-MODFLOW) modeling system is used to simulate irrigation, crop evapotranspiration, deep percolation to the water table, groundwater pumping, seepage from irrigation canals, seepage from recharge ponds, groundwater flow, and groundwater–surface water interactions. The DayCent model simulates the plant–soil-water dynamics in the root zone and soil profile, while MODFLOW simulates the water balance in the aquifer system. After calibration and testing, the model is used in scenario analysis to quantify the hydrologic impact of recharge ponds. Results indicate that recharge ponds can raise groundwater levels by approximately 2.5 m in localized areas, but only 15 cm when averaged over the entire study region. Ponds also increase the rate of total groundwater discharge to the South Platte River by approximately 3%, due to an increase in groundwater hydraulic gradient, which generally offsets stream depletion caused by groundwater pumping. These results can assist with groundwater resource management in the study region, and generally provide valuable information for the interplay between pumping wells and recharge ponds, and their composite effect on groundwater–surface water interactions. In addition, the developed linked DayCent-MODFLOW modeling system presented herein can be used in any region for which recharge rates should be calculated on a per-field basis.

Conjunctive Water Management under Multiple Uncertainties: A Case Study of the Amu Darya River Basin, Central Asia

With population growth, climate volatility, and economic expansion, the conjunctive management of surface–groundwater (SGW) faces great challenges. In this study, a hybrid factorial optimization programming (HFOP) method is developed through integrating factorial analysis, interval linear programming, flexible fuzzy programming, and two-stage stochastic programming into a general framework. HFOP can effectively reflect the multiple uncertainties and quantitatively identify the effects of multiple factors. Then, a HFOP-SGW model is formulated for the middle reaches of the Amu Darya River Basin, where 125 scenarios are analyzed. Some of the major findings are: (i) the improvement of surface-water transport efficiency and the proper use of groundwater can effectively alleviate regional water shortage; (ii) agricultural users have a high risk of water scarcity for all states, especially under a low-flow level; (iii) uncertainties of water-flow levels and risk-reverse attitudes of decision makers have significant impacts on the system’s benefits and water-allocation scheme; and (iv) the surface-water-transmission loss rate and risk perceptions of decision makers are the main factors affecting the system’s benefit’s and water-allocation scheme. These findings can help decision makers obtain desired water-allocation strategies to respond to the variations in water availability.

How do turbidite systems behave from the hydrogeological point of view? New insights and open questions coming from an interdisciplinary work in southern Italy.

Turbidite successions can behave either as aquitards or aquifers depending on their lithological and hydraulic features. In particular, post-depositional processes can increase rock permeability due to fracture development in the competent layers. Thus, at a local scale, turbidite systems warrant further detailed investigations, aimed at reconstructing reliable hydrogeological models. The objective of this work was to investigate from the hydrogeological perspective a turbiditic aquifer located in southern Italy, where several perennial and seasonal springs were detected. Considering the complex hydrodynamics of these systems at the catchment scale, to reach an optimal characterization, a multidisciplinary approach was adopted. The conceptual framework employed microbial communities as groundwater tracers, together with the physicochemical features and isotopic signature of springs and streams from water samples. Meanwhile, geophysical investigations coupled with the geological survey provided the contextualization of the hydrogeological data into the detailed geological reconstruction of the study area. This modus operandi allowed us to typify several differences among the samples, allowing identification of sources and paths of surface water and groundwater, along with diffuse groundwater outflow along streams. As a final result, a hydrogeological conceptual model was reconstructed, underlining how at a very local scale the lithologic, hydraulic, and geomorphological heterogeneity of the studied relief can lead to an improved hydrogeological conceptual model compared to that of other turbidite systems. These results open new questions about the hydrogeological behavior of turbiditic aquifers, which could be pivotal in future research. In fact, these systems could support relevant ecosystems and anthropic activities, especially where climate change will force the research of new (and probably less hydrogeologically efficient) water sources.

Integrated hydrogeological and hydrogeochemical dataset of an alpine catchment in the northern Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

Abstract. Climate warming has significantly changed the hydrological cycle in cold regions, especially in areas with permafrost or seasonal frost. Groundwater flow and its interactions with surface water are essential components of the hydrological process. However, few studies or modeling works have been based on long-term field observations of groundwater level, temperature, hydrogeochemistry, or isotopic tracers from boreholes due to obstacles such as remote locations, limited infrastructure, and harsh work conditions. In the Hulugou catchment, an alpine catchment in the headwater region of the Heihe River on the northern Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP), we drilled four sets of depth-specific wells and monitored the groundwater levels and temperatures at different depths. Surface water (including river water, glacier meltwater, and snow meltwater), precipitation, groundwater from boreholes, spring water, and soil water were sampled to measure the abundances of major and minor elements, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and stable and radioactive isotopes at 64 sites. This study provides a dataset of these groundwater parameters spanning 6 consecutive years of monitoring/measurements. These data can be used to investigate groundwater flow processes and groundwater–surface water interactions on the QTP under global climate change. The dataset provided in this paper can be obtained at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6296057 (Ma et al., 2021b) and will be subject to further updates.

The Control of Plant and Soil Hydraulics on the Interannual Variability of Plant Carbon Uptake Over the Central US

AbstractThe interannual variability (IAV) of gross primary productivity (GPP) reflects the sensitivity of GPP to climate variations and contributes substantially to the variations and long‐term trend of the atmospheric CO2 growth rate. Analyses of three observation‐based GPP products indicate that their IAVs are consistently correlated to terrestrial water storage anomaly over the central US, where episodic droughts occur. A land surface model explicitly representing plant hydraulics and groundwater capillary rise with an adequate soil hydraulics well captures the observed GPP IAV. Our sensitivity experiments indicate that, without representations of plant hydraulics and groundwater capillary rise or using an alternative soil hydraulics, the land model substantially overestimates the GPP IAV and the GPP sensitivity to water in the central US. This study strongly suggests the use of the van Genuchten water retention model to replace the most commonly used Brooks–Corey model, which generally produces too strong matric suction of soil water especially in dry conditions, in land surface modeling. This study highlights the importance of plant and soil hydraulics and surface–groundwater interactions to Earth system modeling for projections of future climates that may experience more intense and frequent droughts.

Hydrogeochemistry and Isotope Hydrology of Surface Water and Groundwater in the Mountain Watersheds of Daqing River, North China

Surface water and groundwater interaction variations in time and space are crucial for effective water management, especially in low-precipitation regions. To comprehensively determine the hydrochemical characteristics and interaction processes of surface water and groundwater and to investigate the decreasing causes of water resources in semi-arid mountainous watersheds under changing environments, intensive field surveys were conducted in the Daqing River watershed, a tributary of the Haihe River basin in northern China, during two different times of the year: after the rainy season (September 2018) and before the rainy season (July 2019). Sixty surface water and groundwater samples were collected along the mountainous watershed. Using a combination method of hydrogen and oxygen stable isotope tracing and hydrochemical analysis, the hydrogen and oxygen isotopes and hydrochemical characteristics of surface water and groundwater in the mountainous watershed of the Daqing River were analyzed. Furthermore, the effect of elevation (altitude) on isotopes was discussed, and the correlation between hydrogen and oxygen isotope composition and hydrochemical characteristics was obtained. The results were processed using endmember mixing analysis to determine the amount of contribution of the surface water and groundwater interaction processes. The results show that the hydrochemical characteristics are relatively stable in the mountainous watersheds of the Daqing River, and the surface water and groundwater are mainly of the HCO3-Ca type. The slope of the local meteoric water line is smaller than the slope of the global meteoric water line, and the δD and δ18O in surface water and groundwater show a good linear relationship both before and after the rainy season. There is a decreasing trend of the value of δ18O in surface water samples with decreasing altitude, but a decreasing trend of the value of δ18O in groundwater samples is not obvious. The evaporation intensity of surface water is stronger after the rainy season than before the rainy season, and the connection between the surface water and the groundwater is stronger before the rainy season. Influenced by topographic conditions and other factors, the exchange of surface water and groundwater is frequent, and there is a large difference in the exchange ratio before and after the rainy season. The exchange ratio can be more than 50% after the rainy season. Thus, the reasons for decreasing water resources in the mountains can be implied to be due to the increasing hydraulic gradient between the mountains and the piedmont plains, and the water resources are discharged more in the form of groundwater to the downstream. The conclusions help to enhance the understanding of the water cycle in the mountainous watershed and can provide some theoretical basis for the sustainable development and utilization of water resources in the Haihe River basin and the regional water ecology of the Xiong’an New Area.

Analysis of Physical Chemical Drinking Water Quality Parameters in Sialkot

Abstract Due to increasing in urbanization, agricultural and various human activities are being increased which caused the contamination of surface water and ground water. Present demand of drinking water is not sufficient which should be safe and clean but it is contaminated now a day’s coming from different sources. Various treatments and methods are adopted to upgrade the quality of drinking water. Water should be free from the various contaminations viz. Organic and Inorganic pollutants, Heavy metals, Pesticides etc. as well as all its parameter like pH, Conductivity, Calcium, Magnesium, Total Hardness, Carbonate, Bicarbonate, Chloride, Total Dissolved Solid, Alkalinity, Sodium Potassium, Nitrate should be within a permissible limit. For this purpose, different samples were collected from different sources. Category 1: piped water, Category 2: Boreholes with hand pump average depth is 30m, Category 3: Society supply line, Category 4: Simple open hand dug wells that do not sealed walls average depth 5m, Category 5: Surface water. These samples were analyzed for their physical-chemical and microbiological quality (pH, Conductivity, Turbidity, Hardness & Total dissolved solids) in order to identify the rate of contamination and suggest appropriate solutions. Different diseases are accrued in human body which is identified due to the contaminated water. By chemical testing, it can be identified and then suggested some methods of treatment to purify the water for drinking purposes. All parameters are confirmed by comparing with World Health Organization (WHO) standards. Results concluded that quality of drinking water have been adequate of category 3 in which drinking water coming from society treatment plant but category 2 also lies within the acceptable range.

Hydrogeomorphic advancements in river science for water security in India

Effective management of rivers and the maintenance of the integrity of linked biophysical systems require multidisciplinary approaches. Thus, River Science is a relatively new arena of scientific inquiry that focuses on problems of sustainable management of river systems and it actively integrates multiple scales and various concepts. This paper presents a review of new developments in hydrogeomorphic processes understanding, which are critical to assess water security for Indian river systems.Indian rivers are under the influence of a diverse interplay of climatic, geomorphic, tectonic, and anthropogenic forces, and are broadly classified in terms of Himalayan and Peninsular rivers, which can be further subdivided into 6 major types. The Himalayan rivers have received greater attention in comparison to rivers in peninsular India. Within the backdrop of changing climate, an improved understanding of the interrelationships between hydrological, morphological and ecological processes is the key to quantifying water security for Indian rivers in the near future. Geomorphic threshold, hydrological and sediment connectivity, Groundwater-Surfacewater (GW-SW) interaction and Environmental-flow (E-flow) assessment are the essential elements to understand the hydrology-morphological-ecological processes. Such studies have been initiated in Indian river systems, however, these are still limited in number. Stream power distribution based approaches are frequently employed to understand hydrological controls on morphological processes and form in regulated and unregulated rivers. As a majority of the Himalayan rivers are hydrologically and morphologically disconnected due to large dams or barrages, the result is a discontinuum of channel processes. Peninsular rivers are dominantly bedrock and highly regulated river systems, which show significant short- to long-term flow variability and have tributaries which are not perennial. Disconnectivity due to extensive flow regulation and water withdrawals impose great stress on the flow processes and sediment transport, and result in the progressive decline in channel morphology, habitat, and ecosystem flow needs. A critical research question in highly regulated river systems is regarding how the flow regime at the reach scale and the associated hydrogeomorphic variability can be systematically characterized. Identification of geomorphic thresholds at different scales and quantification of (a) hydrological and sediment connectivity in river systems, (b) surface–groundwater interaction, and (c) E-flow assessment for different reaches in each river basin are the major gaps in River Science studies specific to Indian river systems. Especially, E-flow assessment for different river basins using a holistic approach must be the leading area of River Science research to aid management and policy making with the goal of enhancing water security. Relatively less studied peninsular rivers need more quantitative process-based hydrogeomorphic studies and their application for E-flow assessment.

Catastrophic Floods in Large River Basins: Surface Water and Groundwater Interaction under Dynamic Complex Natural Processes–Forecasting and Presentation of Flood Consequences

A unique approach has been developed for explaining and forecasting the processes of flood and/or mudflow (debris) formation and their spread along riverbeds in mountainous areas, caused by flash increases in the water masses involved (considerably increasing in their expected level because of precipitation intensity) due to groundwater contributions. Three-dimensional crack-nets within the confines of unified rivershed basins in mountain massifs are a natural transportation system (as determined by some dynamic external stress factors) for groundwater, owing to hydrostatic/hydrodynamic pressure distribution, varied due to different reasons (e.g., earthquakes). This process reveals a wave nature characterized by signs of obvious self-organization, and can be described via the soliton model in nonlinear hydrodynamics on the surface propagation after a local exit of groundwater as the trigger type. This approach (and related concepts) might result in a more reliable forecasting and early warning system in case of natural water hazards/disasters, taking into account a groundwater-dominant role in some cases.

Editorial for Special Issue: “Integrated Surface Water and Groundwater Analysis”

Comprehensive understanding of groundwater—surface water (GW–SW) interaction is essential for effective water resources management [...]

Surface Groundwater Pollution Dynamics Over 2015-2020 in the Salt Drying Pond of Pademawu Subdistrict, Madura, Indonesia

Pamekasan coastal area is the center of salt production concentrated in the Pademawu subdistrict with the ponds area of 740.96 ha. The sufficiently close distance of salt ponds to settlement areas allows several issues, such as shallow groundwater salinization. This study aimed to determine the salt pond’s degradation over five years (2015-2020) and its influence on the salinization issue in Pademawu. We compare groundwater quality parameters (conductivity, TDS, the depth of shallow surface groundwater, and salinity) surveyed in 2015 and 2020, correlated to salt pond area alterations. Over five years of measurement, it was found that conductivity declined, reaching 2779.94 µS/cm. Based on TDS deterioration, groundwater transformed from brackish to freshwater in 2020. By contrast, the depth of shallow groundwater-surface increased by almost one meter. The freshwater area also increased by 22% over five years based on conductivity classification. Groundwater quality dynamics are related to the alteration of the salt pond area. On the other hand, the significant increase in rainfall intensity, which is not beneficial for salt agriculture, results in the salt pond area deterioration, thereby declining surface groundwater salinity in Pademawu due to the less interaction between Cl and groundwater within aquifers. Although the groundwater pollution induced by seawater intrusion and salinization declined in 2020, re-organizing the distance between salt ponds and the settlement area in Pademawu is crucial to minimize further groundwater pollution. 
 Keywords : Dynamics; pollution; groundwater; salt agriculture; Pademawu
 
 Copyright (c) 2022 Geosfera Indonesia and Department of Geography Education, University of Jember
 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share A like 4.0 International License

A Water Balancing Act: Water Balances Highlight the Benefits of Community-Based Adaptive Management in Northern New Mexico, USA

Quantifying groundwater recharge from irrigation in water-scarce regions is critical for sustainable water management in an era of decreasing surface water deliveries and increasing reliance on groundwater pumping. Through a water balance approach, our study estimated deep percolation (DP) and characterized surface water and groundwater interactions of two flood-irrigated fields in northern New Mexico to evaluate the regional importance of irrigation-related recharge in the context of climate change. DP was estimated for each irrigation event from precipitation, irrigation input, runoff, change in soil water storage, and evapotranspiration data for both fields. Both fields exhibited positive, statistically significant relationships between DP and total water applied (TWA), where one field exhibited positive, statistically significant relationships between DP and groundwater level fluctuation (GWLF) and between GWLF and total water applied. In 2021, total DP on Field 1 was 739 mm, where 68% of irrigation water applied contributed to DP. Field 2′s total DP was 1249 mm, where 81% of irrigation water applied contributed to DP. Results from this study combined with long-term research indicate that the groundwater recharge and flexible management associated with traditional, community-based irrigation systems are the exact benefits needed for appropriate climate change adaptation.

Study on the transformation of surface water and groundwater in the water source area of Baima-Jili River Basin

Abstract The exploitation of groundwater in a riverside water source area is a complex process of conversion of surface water and groundwater. At present, the numerical model for simulating the exploitation of riverside water sources often generalizes rivers to the specified head boundary (CHD) or the river boundary (RIV). The CHD generalizes the river into an infinite supply of water, which is obviously unrealistic for seasonal rivers, and the RIV does not have the function of the river confluence. The above two methods directly affect the calculation accuracy of river water and groundwater conversion amount due to inherent loopholes, so the simulation of the riverside exploitation amount has some errors. This study uses the Streamflow-Routing (SFR) model to generalize the Baima-Jili River. By calculating the stream flow, the upstream, and downstream water levels of the rainy, normal, and dry seasons through the permeability parameter between river water and groundwater (parameters such as riverbed permeability coefficient, riverbed thickness, water depth, and cross-sectional shape), a coupling model of surface water and groundwater is established. In order to verify the accuracy of the SFR model simulation, the CHD and RIV conditions are used to generalize the river, and the simulation results of the three models are compared. The results show that the available groundwater exploitation simulated by the SFR model, the CHD, and the RIV boundary conditions are 27.798 × 106, 35.11 × 106, and 25.76 ×106 m3/a, respectively. The known available groundwater exploitation in the study area is 2,870 × 104 m3/a. Therefore, the SFR simulation results are more realistic, indicating that the SFR model is more suitable for coupling simulation of the surface water and groundwater interaction in riverside water sources of a seasonal river.

TRACE METAL LEVELS OF SOIL-GROWN AMARANTHS ON MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE DRAINAGE OF WUKARI METROPOLIS

Soil metal levels of municipal solid waste (MSW) drainage and morphological traits of Amaranthus spp growing in the natural drainage of Wukari Metropolis was investigated as an ecological monitoring data survey and food chain contamination assessment. Selected morphological traits, physico-chemical parameters and the status of selected trace metal (Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn) levels of the municipal solid waste drainage used for dry season cultivation of Amaranthus spp were determined according to standard analytical procedures. Results reveals a significant soil Pb and Cr levels in the MSW drainage arising from traffic density fallouts. A higher soil organic matter content, slightly acidic pH and CEC of MSW drainage indicate the suitability of MSW drainage for Amaranths cultivation as reveals in the selected morphological traits which agrees with the findings of other works. This reflect high microbial activity in the compositing of MSW in the drainage. Trace metal levels were below the Joint WHO/FAO Codex Alimentarius permissible limits (Pb = 2mg/kg; Cr = 1.30mg/kg; Cu = 10mg/kg; Zn = 5mg/kg) but higher for Cr and Pb revealing the close proximity of study area to high traffic density of the Katsina –Ala – Jalingo Highway. Dry season irrigation farming of vegetables should be far from high traffic density. Natural treatment of MSW and subsequent utilization of drainages or dumpsites for dry season vegetable farming is environmentally-friendly than the application of inorganic fertilizers that pollute agricultural soils, groundwater surface waters and the soil ecosystem.
 
 Keywords - Municipal Solid Waste, Drainage, Dumpsite, Trace Metals, Amaranths,

Simulating River/Lake–Groundwater Exchanges in Arid River Basins: An Improvement Constrained by Lake Surface Area Dynamics and Evapotranspiration

Surface water–groundwater interactions in arid zones are characterized by water exchange processes in a complex system comprising intermittent streams/terminal lakes, shallow aquifers, riparian zone evapotranspiration, and groundwater withdrawal. Notable challenges arise when simulating such hydrological systems; for example, field observations are scarce, and hydrogeological parameters exhibit considerable spatial heterogeneity. To reduce the simulation uncertainties, in addition to groundwater head and river discharge measurements, we adopted remote sensing-based evapotranspiration data and lake area dynamics as known conditions to calibrate the model. We chose the Ejina Basin, located in the lower reaches of the Heihe River Basin in arid northwest China, as the study area to validate our modelling approach. The hydrological system of this basin is characterized by intensive, spatiotemporally variable surface water–groundwater interactions. The areas of the terminal lakes into which all river runoff flows vary significantly depending on the ratio between river runoff and lake evaporation. Simulation results with a monthly time step from 2000 to 2017 indicate that river leakage accounted for approximately 61% of the total river runoff. Our study shows that for areas where surface water and groundwater observations are sparse, combining remote sensing product data of surface water areas and evapotranspiration can effectively reduce the uncertainty in coupled surface water and groundwater simulations.