Daily scale modelling of aquifer-river connectivity in the urban alluvial aquifer in Langreo, Spain

Evaluating aquifer-river interactions is naturally complex, particularly within urban settings. This is largely due to the difficulties involved in quantifying most elements of the water balance. The ability of numerical models to deal with several dynamic variables simultaneously makes them valuabl...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Hydrogeology journal 2010-09, Vol.18 (6), p.1525-1537
Main Authors: Martínez-Santos, Pedro, Martínez-Alfaro, Pedro E, Sanz, Eugenio, Galindo, Angel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alluvial aquifers
Aquatic Pollution
Aquifers
Base flow
Calibration
Earth and Environmental Science
Earth Sciences
Geology
Geophysics/Geodesy
Groundwater
Groundwater recharge/water budget
Groundwater/surface-water relations
Hydrogeology
Hydrology
Hydrology/Water Resources
Mathematical analysis
Mathematical models
Modelling
Numerical modeling
Rivers
Spatial distribution
Stream discharge
Stream flow
Urban areas
Urban groundwater
Waste Water Technology
Water balance
Water Management
Water Pollution Control
Water Quality/Water Pollution
Winter
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Summary:Evaluating aquifer-river interactions is naturally complex, particularly within urban settings. This is largely due to the difficulties involved in quantifying most elements of the water balance. The ability of numerical models to deal with several dynamic variables simultaneously makes them valuable tools to address this kind of problem. An applied, modeling-based approach to investigate the spatial and temporal variations of aquifer-river connectivity within a shallow urban aquifer is presented. Model development is based on comprehensive field campaigns in Langreo, Spain. Two calibration runs (for summer and winter conditions) were carried out in order to evaluate the spatial distribution of recharge rates. The model suggests that baseflows are largely negligible in comparison with total streamflows. This is mostly attributed to the abrupt nature of the catchment, which prevents the existence of sufficiently large alluvial systems to a great extent. Modelling results also show that aquifer-river connectivity at the study site is constrained by urban pumping as well as by seasonal fluctuations.
ISSN:1431-2174
1435-0157
DOI:10.1007/s10040-010-0613-1