scholarly journals Aquifer heterogeneity and response time: the challenge for groundwater management

2013 ◽  
Vol 64 (12) ◽  
pp. 1141 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. F. J. Kelly ◽  
W. A. Timms ◽  
M. S. Andersen ◽  
A. M. McCallum ◽  
R. S. Blakers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
Groundwater Management ◽  
Time Lag ◽  
High Volume ◽  
Irrigated Agriculture ◽  
Aquifer System ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Murray Darling Basin ◽  
Hydraulic Gradients ◽  
The Impact

Groundwater is an important contributor to irrigation water supplies. The time lag between withdrawal and the subsequent impacts on the river corridor presents a challenge for water management. We highlight aspects of this challenge by examining trends in the groundwater levels and changes in groundwater management goals for the Namoi Catchment, which is within the Murray–Darling Basin, Australia. The first high-volume irrigation bore was installed in the cotton-growing districts in the Namoi Catchment in 1966. The development of high-yielding bores made accessible a vast new water supply, enabling cotton growers to buffer the droughts. Prior to the development of a groundwater resource it is difficult to accurately predict how the water at the point of withdrawal is hydraulically connected to recharge zones and nearby surface-water features. This is due to the heterogeneity of the sediments from which the water is withdrawn. It can take years or decades for the impact of groundwater withdrawal to be transmitted kilometres through the aquifer system. We present the analysis of both historical and new groundwater level and streamflow data to quantify the impacts of extensive groundwater withdrawals on the watertable, hydraulic gradients within the semi-confined aquifers, and the movement of water between rivers and aquifers. The results highlight the need to monitor the impacts of irrigated agriculture at both the regional and local scales, and the need for additional research on how to optimise the conjunctive use of both surface-water and groundwater to sustain irrigated agriculture while minimising the impact on groundwater-dependent ecosystems.

scholarly journals A plea for a novel kind of ecohydrology: the interaction between hydrological processes and - endangered or not - wildlife

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jasper Griffioen ◽  
Martin Wassen ◽  
Joris Cromsigt
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Surface Water ◽  
Ecosystem Engineer ◽  
Sewage Water ◽  
Water Systems ◽  
Nature Reserves ◽  
Hydrological Processes ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Nature Restoration ◽  
The Impact

<p>Ecohydrology usually refers to the effects of hydrological processes on the occurrence, distribution and patterns of plants. Here, we emphasize a new kind of ecohydrology in which the effects of hydrological processes on the occurrence of – endangered or not - wildlife become addressed via the threat of its habitat or, oppositely, where the occurrence of wildlife leads to a threat of endangered fauna. We present three examples to illustrate this.</p><p>First, the habitat of the tiger in the Terai Arc Landscape (TAL) at the foot of the Himalayas seems to increasingly become threatened by changes in the hydrological conditions. Grasslands in floodplains are an important part of the tiger habitat as these are the grounds where the tiger preferably hunts for deer as his prey. Disturbances of the water systems such as gravel and sand extraction from the river beds, intake of water for irrigation and hydropower production are increasingly happening and climate change may further alter the Himalayan water systems. This seems to disturb the grasslands in their hydrological and hydromorphological dynamics, which may negatively impact the density of deer, which may put additional pressure on the tiger populations in the nature reserves of the TAL.</p><p>Second, ungulates are important mammals in the grasslands and savannah of southern Africa. The water availability for these animals may alter upon climate change, including higher frequencies of droughts. Research suggests that the community composition of ungulates may alter by this. Here, the larger water-dependent grazers may be replaced by smaller, less water-dependent species.</p><p>Third, the beaver is well-known as hydrological ecosystem engineer. The beaver, therefore, has obtained some attention within the context of ecohydrology. The impact of the beaver as ecosystem engineer is, however, peculiar for nature reserves at the Belgian-Dutch border. Surface water with poor quality due to lack of appropriate sewage water treatment is running along nature reserves. The reintroduction of the beaver causes a rise in the surface and groundwater levels due to its dam-building activities. This induces an introduction of polluted surface water into the Dutch wetlands which contain a less eutrofied ecosystem than the Belgian ones that were fed by the polluted surface water. Nature restoration may thus go on the expense of nature degradation.</p><p>These examples show that the ecohydrology of wildlife is as fascinating and diverse as classical ecohydrology is.</p>

Easy to say, hard to do: integrated surface water and groundwater management in the Murray–Darling Basin

Water Policy ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 709-724 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Ross
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Surface Water ◽  
Groundwater Management ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Catchment Scale ◽  
Integrated Water Management ◽  
Aquifer Storage ◽  
Surface Water And Groundwater ◽  
Murray Darling Basin

Integrated management of surface water and groundwater can provide efficient and flexible use of water through wet and dry periods, and address the impacts of water use on other users and the environment. It can also help adaptation to climate variation and uncertainty by means of supply diversification, storage and exchange. Integrated water management is affected by surface water and groundwater resources and their connections, water use, infrastructure, governance arrangements and interactions. Although the Murray–Darling Basin is considered to be a leading example of integrated water management, surface water and groundwater resources are generally managed separately. Key reasons for this separation include the historical priority given to surface water development, the relative neglect of groundwater management, shortfalls in information about connections between groundwater and surface water and their impacts, gaps and exemptions in surface water and groundwater use entitlements and rules, coordination problems, and limited stakeholder engagement. Integration of surface water and groundwater management can be improved by the establishment of more comprehensive water use entitlements and rules, with extended carry-over periods and legislated rules for aquifer storage and recovery. Collective surface water and groundwater management offers greater efficiency and better risk management than uncoordinated individual action. There are opportunities for more effective engagement of stakeholders in planning and implementation through decentralized catchment scale organizations.

scholarly journals Groundwater and River Interaction Impact to Aquifer System in Saigon River Basin, Vietnam

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 15-24
Author(s):  
Tran Thanh Long ◽  
Sucharit Koontanakulvong
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Water Demand ◽  
Developing Economies ◽  
High Water ◽  
Groundwater Pumping ◽  
Pumping Rate ◽  
Aquifer System ◽  
Groundwater Reserves ◽  
The Impact

Since the 1990s, under the pressure of socio-economic growth in the Ho Chi Minh City and nearby provinces, the heavy-extraction of groundwater of this area has dramatically increased to meet high water demand for domestic and industrial purposes. Although the groundwater – Saigon River interaction significantly contributes to groundwater reserves, researchers have been less attentive to fully describe and understand the river recharge. This study attempts to explore the impact of groundwater-river interaction to aquifer system due to pumping increase via field seepage and (O18, H2) isotopic measurements in the Saigon River Basin, South East of Vietnam. The analysis showed that river bed conductance at 0 km, 30 km, 60 km, 80 km, and 120 km were 4.5 m2/day/m, 4.2 m2/day/m, 2.5 m2/day/m, 1.7 m2/day/m, and 0.25 m2/day/m respectively. The riverbed conductance relies on the sand percentage of sediment. The composition δO18 in groundwater, river, and precipitation indicates that river recharge to groundwater exists mainly in the lower part of the basin. In contrast to downstream, the composition of δO18 was signified that the river primarily gains water from groundwater upstream. Under pressure of developing economies, the groundwater pumping in the Saigon river basin increased from 175,000 m3/day in 1995 to 880,000 m3/day in 2017. As a consequence of the increased pumping rate, the groundwater discharge to the river decreases from 1.6 to 0.7 times of groundwater pumping in upstream, while the amount of Saigon river recharge increases by 33% to 50% of the total groundwater pumping downstream. Under the exceedance pumping rate, the aquifers in the Saigon River Basin release less water to the Saigon river and it tends to gain more water through the river - groundwater interaction process. Therefore, groundwater management in downstream aquifers needs better joint planning with surface water development plans, particularly for surface water supply utilities which still struggle to satisfy the water demand of the development plan.

Groundwater flow modelling to assist dryland salinity management of a coastal plain of southern Australia

Soil Research ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 669 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Pavelic ◽  
Kumar A. Narayan ◽  
Peter J. Dillon
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Flow ◽  
Groundwater Recharge ◽  
Coastal Plain ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Aquifer System ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Flow Modelling ◽  
Groundwater Flow Modelling ◽  
The Impact

Groundwater flow modelling has been undertaken for an area of 10 500 ha within the regional unconfined aquifer system of a coastal plain of southern Australia, in the vicinity of the town of Cooke Plains, to predict the impact of various land management options (including recharge reduction and discharge enhancement) on the extent of land salinisation caused by shallow saline watertables. The model was calibrated against field data collected over 6 years. Sensitivity analysis was performed to assess the influence of mesh size, boundary conditions, and aquifer parameters, and particularly rates of recharge and evaporative discharge, on groundwater levels. These were varied until the model was shown to be capable of simulating seasonal trends and regional and local flow patterns. The model was then used to predict the impact of the management options on groundwater levels. The results showed that continuing current annual crop–pasture rotations will result in watertable rises of approximately 0·2 m in 20 years (significant in this setting), with a further 50 ha of land salinised. A reduction in the rates of groundwater recharge through the establishment of high water-use perennial pastures (e.g. lucerne) showed the most promise for controlling groundwater levels. For example, a reduction in recharge by 90% would result in watertable declines of 0·6–1·0 m within 5–10 years, with the return to productivity of 180 ha of saline land. Small-scale (say <100 ha) efforts to reduce recharge were found to have no significant impact on groundwater levels. Enhanced groundwater discharge such as pumping from a windmill was found to be non-viable due to the relatively high aquifer transmissivity and specific yield. The modelling approach has enabled a relatively small area within a regional aquifer system to be modelled for a finite time (20 years) and has shown that extension of the boundaries of the model would not have altered the predicted outcomes. Furthermore, the analysis of sensitivity to cell size in an undulating landscape where net recharge areas can become net discharge areas with only small increases in groundwater level is novel, and has helped to build confidence in the model. Modelling has demonstrated that dryland salinisation can be controlled by reducing groundwater recharge over substantial tracts of land, and is not dependent on recharge reduction over an extensive area upgradient, at least over the next 20 years.

Climate change vs. human impact. A look into Austrian groundwater

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johannes Christoph Haas ◽  
Steffen Birk
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Surface Water ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Human Impact ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Special Role ◽  
European Alps ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Human Use ◽  
The Impact

&lt;p&gt;Climate change is mostly associated with the term of &amp;#8220;global warming&amp;#8221; and thus conjures images of a hotter and dryer future. Indeed, the Alpine region already has seen much higher warming compared to the average of the northern hemisphere [1]. However, because of the impact of other climate variables (e.g. precipitation) and vegetation responses, warming does not necessarily have to mean higher evapotranspiration and dryer conditions [2]. This matter is further complicated as groundwater is closely interlinked with surface water. While surface water is of course related to precipitation, it is also one of the major pathways for humans to have a large and direct impact on the water cycle, e.g. by the construction of run-of-river powerplants. A further direct human impact is the abstraction of groundwater. For this factor, it is generally understood that water use increased with economic activity until the rise of environmentalism in the 1980s and more efficient water use stopped this trend and turned it into a decrease in many industrialized countries.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Assessing impacts of climate change on groundwater resources therefore is a challenging task. In order to assess these, as well as direct human impacts on groundwater, we analyzed a large dataset (1017 groundwater level-, 426 stream stage- and 646 precipitation time series) covering Austria from earlier than 1930 until 2015, with the majority of the data from the 1970s on.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It is shown that groundwater shows a strong falling trend, followed by a rise, fitting the human water use, whereas precipitation shows a more moderate trend. River stages show a completely deviating behavior before the 1980s but also follow the rising trend afterwards [3]. While this does not yet prove a causal link, it does highlight the possibility that human use could affect groundwater levels more than the climate, especially since Austria almost exclusively uses groundwater for human use and the wells in the dataset are all located in the populated lowlands.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Going beyond [3], we take a closer look at the history and future of the human factor, namely water abstraction for public water supply and the effects of humans on rivers. We show that Austria has a very particular form of water supply, mainly due to the special role of the capital, Vienna, whose history could see a repeat in the near future. Under a changing climate, there is also a possibility for further changes in Austria&amp;#8217;s rivers. In addition to effects of such changes on groundwater levels, we try to address potential impacts on the chemical quality and ecological status of groundwater.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;References:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;[1] Gobiet et al., 2014, 21&lt;sup&gt;st&lt;/sup&gt; century climate change in the European alps-a review. Sci. Total. Environ. 493, 1138 &amp;#8211; 1151.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;[2] Pangle et al., 2014, Rainfall seasonality and an ecohydrological feedback offset the potential impact of climate warming on evapotranspiration and groundwater recharge, Water Resour. Res., 50, 1308&amp;#8211;1321&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;[3] Haas &amp; Birk, 2019, Trends in Austrian groundwater &amp;#8211; climate or human impact? J. Hydrol.: Reg. Stud. 22, 100597&lt;/p&gt;

scholarly journals Quantitative Evaluation of Groundwater–Surface Water Interactions: Application of Cumulative Exchange Fluxes Method

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 259
Author(s):  
Mingqian Li ◽  
Xiujuan Liang ◽  
Changlai Xiao ◽  
Yuqing Cao
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
Hydrological Cycle ◽  
Influential Factor ◽  
Balance Theory ◽  
Aquifer System ◽  
Flow Monitoring ◽  
Controlled Irrigation ◽  
Downstream Flow ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Taizi River Basin

Interactions between groundwater and surface water (GW-SW interactions) play a crucial role in the hydrological cycle; thus, the quantification of GW-SW interactions is essential. In this study, a cumulative exchange fluxes method based on mass balance theory is proposed for a stream-aquifer system. This method determines the curve of cumulative fluxes through the water balance term, which can characterize GW-SW interactions, determine the amount of exchange fluxes, and reveal the dynamic process of interactions. This method is used in a reach of the Taizi River Basin, and the GW-SW interactions observed in 2016 are categorized into seven stages and four types (natural controlled, reservoir and irrigation controlled, irrigation controlled, and irrigation hysteresis type). The natural recharge in the study reach is approximately 3.03 × 105 m3·day−1, and the increase caused by irrigation is 7.8–13.87 × 105 m3·day−1. After the irrigation stops, the impact can be sustained for 48 d with an increase of 3.03 × 105 m3·day−1. The most influential factor of the results is the runoff coefficient. The method is applicable to the stream in the plains with upstream and downstream flow monitoring data and can be used to analyze complex GW-SW interactions under the conditions of reservoir storage and agricultural irrigation. The analysis results will provide guidance for the other study of GW-SW interactions in this reach.

scholarly journals Analysis of groundwater levels in piezometers in the Vipava Valley

2020 ◽  
pp. 61-78
Author(s):  
Mateja Jelovčan ◽  
Mojca Šraj
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
Water Level ◽  
Groundwater Level ◽  
Tectonic Structure ◽  
Unique Region ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Groundwater Level Fluctuations ◽  
The Third ◽  
Autumn And Winter ◽  
The Impact

The Vipava Valley is a unique region in south-western Slovenia. In addition to surface water, groundwater is also important, although it is hidden from the eye. The paper presents an analysis of groundwater levels in piezometers in the Vipava Valley. The analysis was performed on 10 piezometers, which are still operating today, and includes a display of levels and basic statistics, correlations, the impact of distance from the Vipava riverbed, trends, and seasonality. According to the groundwater level, piezometers in the Vipava Valley can be divided into three groups. The first group with the highest levels includes piezometers Gradišče, Vipavski Križ, and Ajdovščina, the second group piezometers Prvačina, Šempeter, Volčja Draga, Renče, and Vrtojba, and the third group with the lowest groundwater levels includes the piezometers Miren and Orehovlje. The results of the analyses showed good or bad connections between groundwater levels in piezometers, as well as between groundwater levels and the Vipava River water level at various gauging stations. The fluctuation of the groundwater level is conditioned by the distance from the Vipava riverbed and the area’s geological or tectonic structure. An unambiguous trend of groundwater levels cannot be determined. The seasonality of groundwater level fluctuations is not pronounced, but the highest values of groundwater levels occur in autumn and winter, and the lowest in summer.

Using Groundwater Responses to Infer Recharge - Part 5

1998 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Armstrong ◽  
K Narayan
Keyword(s):  
Time Lag ◽  
Worked Examples ◽  
Unconfined Aquifer ◽  
Confined Aquifer ◽  
Case Histories ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Aquifer System ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Unconfined Aquifers ◽  
Event Basis

Analytical methods of assessing the response of groundwater levels to a range of factors, including elastic (barometric and tidal) influences in confined aquifers and recharge to unconfined aquifers due to infiltration of rain and other surface water, are presented. Responses in a confined aquifer to distant recharge events and the associated time lag is discussed. Also covered are responses to changes in storage volume resulting from direct recharge at the outcrop of an unconfined aquifer system both seasonally and on a single recharge event basis. Worked examples and case histories are used to illustrate methods of estimating the amount of recharge at different sites within a catchment. The application of vertical cross-sectional flow nets to the estimation of recharge is presented in the context of recharge/discharge profiles.

A conceptual analytical framework to assess the large-scale effects of groundwater withdrawal on groundwater storage and surface water flow

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc F.P. Bierkens ◽  
Edwin H. Sutanudjaja ◽  
Niko Wanders
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
Scale Effects ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Groundwater Withdrawal ◽  
Irrigated Agriculture ◽  
Groundwater Depletion ◽  
Steady Increase ◽  
Groundwater Storage ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Streamflow Depletion

&lt;p&gt;To meet increasing food demands, irrigated agriculture has expanded into semi-arid areas with limited precipitation and surface water availability. This has greatly intensified the dependence of irrigated crops on groundwater withdrawal and caused a steady increase of non-renewable groundwater use. One of the effects of groundwater pumping is the reduction in streamflow through capture of groundwater recharge, with detrimental effects on aquatic ecosystems. The degree to which groundwater withdrawal affects streamflow or groundwater storage depends on the nature of the groundwater-surface water interaction (GWSI). So far, analytical solutions that have been derived to calculate the impact of groundwater on streamflow depletion involve single wells and streams and do not allow the GWSI to shift from connected to disconnected, i.e. from a situation with two-way interaction to one with a one-way interaction between groundwater and surface water. Including this shift and also analyse the effects of many wells, requires numerical groundwater models that are expensive to setup. Here, we introduce a simple conceptual analytical framework that allows to estimate to what extent groundwater withdrawal affects groundwater heads and streamflow. It allows for a shift in GWSI, calculates at which critical withdrawal rate such a shift is expected and when it is likely to occur after withdrawal commences. It also provides estimates of streamflow depletion and which part of the groundwater withdrawal comes out of groundwater storage and which parts from a reduction in streamflow. The framework is used to provide global maps of critical withdrawal rates and timing, the areas where current withdrawal exceeds critical limits, and maps of groundwater depletion and streamflow depletion rates that result from groundwater withdrawal. The resulting global depletion rates are similar to those obtained from global hydrological models and satellites. The analytical framework is particularly useful for performing first-order sensitivity studies and for supporting hydroeconomic models that require simple relationships between groundwater withdrawal rates and the evolution of pumping costs and environmental externalities.&lt;/p&gt;

Gradient Boosting for Forecasting Groundwater Levels from Sparse Data Sets in an Alluvial Aquifer Subjected to Heavy Pumping and Flooding

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuang Xiao ◽  
Dioni Cendón ◽  
Bryce Kelly
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Level ◽  
Alluvial Aquifer ◽  
Gradient Boosting ◽  
Irrigated Agriculture ◽  
Sediment Type ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Deep Drainage ◽  
Aquifer System ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Average Rainfall

&lt;p&gt;In most catchments, there is usually inadequate information to build an accurate three-dimensional representation of the sediment type and associated hydraulic properties. This makes it challenging to build a physics-based groundwater flow model that accurately replicates measured fluctuations in the groundwater level, and it also results in considerable uncertainty in forecasting the groundwater level under various climate scenarios. However, in many catchments in Australia, and around the world, there are 100 year-long rainfall and streamflow records. Good groundwater level data sets often date from mid last century, when advances in pumping technology enable high volume groundwater extractions to support irrigated agriculture. For the lower Murrumbidgee alluvial aquifer in Australia, which covers an area of 33,000 km&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;, we demonstrate that it is possible to train the gradient boosting algorithm to predict the annual change in the groundwater level to within a few centimetres.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The lower Murrumbidgee aquifer, which is up to 300 m thick, is an important but highly stressed aquifer system in Australia. Annually the groundwater level fluctuates many metres due to groundwater withdrawals and occasional flooding. &amp;#160;Some portions of the alluvial aquifer are unconfined and other portions semi-confined. Under current groundwater pumping conditions, groundwater levels decline in the semi-confined portions of the aquifer during extended periods of below average rainfall. In other portions of the catchment, there have been periods of groundwater level rise due to deep drainage beneath irrigated crops.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Despite the catchment size, groundwater levels throughout the region are driven by four primary processes: ongoing river leakage, pumping, deep drainage and occasional flooding. Combined with knowledge of the hydrogeological setting, we successfully used just rainfall, streamflow and annual groundwater withdrawal records to build a gradient boosting model to predict where the groundwater level will rise and fall, in both space and time. Under existing annual pumping rates, the gradient boosting model forecasts that the groundwater level will fall many metres if the catchment has a period of below average rainfall as occurred from 1917 to 1949. This fall in the groundwater level will trigger groundwater access restrictions in some portions of the aquifer.&lt;/p&gt;

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