AN APPLICATION OF THE ANALYTIC ELEMENT METHOD IN MODELING FLORIDA EVERGLADES HYDROLOGY1

ABSTRACT: The large volumes of ground water that are discharged from the Everglades toward the Miami metropolitan area have historically posed a significant environmental water supply problem. In order to analyze the effects of seepage barriers on these subsurface outflows, the analytic element modeling code GFLOW was used to construct a ground water flow model of a region that includes a portion of the Everglades along with adjacent developed areas. The hydrology of this region can be characterized by a highly transmissive surficial aquifer in hydraulic contact with wetlands and canals. Calibration of the model to both wet and dry season conditions yielded satisfactory results, and it was concluded that the analytic element method is a suitable technique for modeling ground water flow in the Everglades environment. Finally, the model was used to evaluate the potential effectiveness of a subsurface barrier approximately two miles long for increasing water levels within the adjacent fringes of the Everglades National Park. It was found that the barrier had a negligible effect on water levels due to both its relatively short length and the high transmissivity of the surficial aquifer.     

HYDROGEOLOGY AND PATHS OF FLOW IN THE CARBONATE BEDROCK AQUIFER,NORTHWESTERN INDIANA1

ABSTRACT: The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is assessing the ground-water resources of the carbonate bedrock aquifers in Indiana and Ohio as part of their Regional Aquifer Systems Analysis program. Part of this assessment includes the determination of unknown aspects of the hydraulic characteristics, boundaries, and flow paths of the carbonate aquifer. To accomplish this, the USGS drilled three wells through the carbonate aquifer near the Kankakee River in northwestern Indiana. Geophysical logs were used to help determine depths and thicknesses for testing and to help describe geology at the three wells. Packer tests were used to determine direction of ground-water flow and to provide data for an analysis of the distribution of transmissivity in the carbonate aquifer. Transmissivity of the carbonates is associated with two physical characteristics of the rocks: fractures and interconnected porosity. Almost all of the transmissivity is derived from horizontal fracturing; however, only a few of the fractures present in the carbonate are transmissive. Some transmissivity is associated with a zone of fossiliferous, vuggy dolomite, which yields water from the rock matrix. Most of the transmissivity is associated with large fractures and solution crevices in the upper 30 feet of the bedrock; less transmissivity is associated with the deeper vuggy reef material, even where extensively fractured. Transmissivity of individual fractures and fossiliferous zones ranges from 300 to 27,000 feet squared per day. The aquifer bottom is defined by a lack of transmissive fractures and an increased shale content near the contact of the Silurian and Ordovician sections. Water-level data from the three wells indicate that flow is horizontal at well site 1 north of the Kankakee River, upward at well site 2 near the river, and downward at well site 3 south of the river. Most of the flow occurs in the upper part of the carbonate bedrock where fracturing and solution-enlarged crevices are most developed. Water levels indicate the the Kankakee River is a hydrologic boundary for the regional carbonate bedrock aquifer.     

Impacts of Residential Development on Humid Subtropical Freshwater Resources: Southwest Florida Experience1

Abstract: The population of Collier and Lee Counties in southwestern Florida has increased 11‐fold from 1960 to 2004 with a concomitant increase in freshwater demand. Water levels and salinity within the water table aquifer over the past two to three decades have generally been stable, with more monitoring wells showing statistically significant temporal increases in water level than decreases. Residential development has had a neutral impact on the water table aquifer because the total annual evapotranspiration of residential communities is comparable to that of native vegetation and less than that of most agricultural land uses. Public water supply systems and private wells also result in net recharge to the water table aquifer with water produced from deeper aquifers. Confined freshwater aquifers have overall trends of decreasing water levels. However, with the exception of the mid‐Hawthorn aquifer, water levels in most areas recover to near background levels each summer wet season. Freshwater resources in humid subtropical areas, such as southwestern Florida, are relatively robust because of the great aquifer recharge potential from the excess of rainfall over ET during the wet season. Proper management can result in sustainable water resources.     

SENSITIVITY OF GROUNDWATER FLOW MODELS TO VERTICAL VARIABILITY OF AQUIFER CONSTANTS1

ABSTRACT: The Ogallala aquifer in the Oklahoma Panhandle is in need of better management because of increased groundwater demand which has caused declines in static water levels at an alarming rate. A groundwater management computer model was developed for the Ogallala aquifer in the Texas Panhandle and treats the aquifer as a homogeneous system. In this study, the computer model has been modified in order to evaluate the effects of vertical layering on semi-static water level changes which occur during the dewatering of a single unconfined aquifer. The modified model was applied to a study area near Guymon, Oklahoma, using both the homogeneous and the multilayered cases. The aquifer is characterized by a saturated thickness of 400 feet. The accumulated drawdown values of the homogeneous and the multilayered cases demonstrate that an average difference of approximately 22% of the original saturated thickness occurs between the two cases before the base of the aquifer is encountered. Approximately 25% more time is required to dewater the layered aquifer. Thus, vertical variations of lithology in an aquifer such as the Ogallala should be considered when prediction is made relative to groundwater management.     

GROUND WATER DROUGHT MANAGEMENT BY A FEEDFORWARD CONTROL METHOD1

ABSTRACT: Management of a regional ground water system to mitigate drought problems at the multi‐layered aquifer system in Collier County, Florida, is the main topic. This paper developed a feedforward control system that consists of system and control equations. The system equation, which forecasts ground water levels using the current measurements, was built based on the Kalman filter algorithm associated with a stochastic time series model. The role of the control equation is to estimate the pumping reduction rate during an anticipated drought. The control equation was built based on the empirical relationship between the change in ground water levels and the corresponding pumping requirement. The control system starts with forecasting one‐month‐ahead ground water head at each control point. The forecasted head is in turn used to calculate the deviation of ground water heads from the monthly target specified by a 2‐in‐10‐year frequency. When the forecasted water level is lower than the target, the control system computes spatially‐varied pumping reduction rates as a recommendation for ground water users. The proposed control system was tested using hypothetical droughts. The simulation result revealed that the estimated pumping reduction rates are highly variable in space, strongly supporting the idea of spatial forecasting and controlling of ground water levels as opposed to a lumped water use restriction method used previously in the model area.     

GEOCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF SHALLOW GROUND WATER IN THE EUTAW AQUIFER,MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA1

ABSTRACT: Ground water samples were collected from 30 wells located in, or directly down gradient from, recharge areas of the Eutaw aquifer in Montgomery, Alabama. The major ion content of the water evolves from calcium‐sodium‐chloride‐dominated type in the recharge area to calcium‐bicarbonate‐dominated type in the confined portion of the aquifer. Ground water in the recharge area was under saturated with respect to aluminosilicate and carbonate minerals. Ground water in the confined portion of the aquifer was at equilibrium levels for calcite and potassium feldspar. Dissolved oxygen and nitrite‐plus‐nitrate concentrations decreased as ground water age increased; pH, iron, and sulfate concentrations increased as ground water age increased. Aluminum, copper, and zinc concentrations decreased as ground water age and pH increased. These relations indicate that nitrate, aluminum, copper, and zinc are removed from solution as water moves from recharge areas to the confined areas of the Eutaw aquifer. The natural evolution of ground water quality, which typically increases the pH and decreases the dissolved oxygen content, may be an important limiting factor to the migration of nitrogen based compounds and metals.     

RADIUM - 226 IN GROUND WATER OF WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA1

ABSTRACT: Principal U.S. phosphate production is from central Florida where mining, processing, and waste disposal practices intimately associate the industry with water resouces. Available radium-226 data from 1966 and from 1973–1976 in mined and unmined mincralized areas and nonmineralized areas in the primary study area in Polk, Hardee, Hillsborough, Manatee, and De Soto counties were studied using log-normal probability plots and nonparametric statistical tests for significant difference as functions of time, depth, and location. Plots of radium in the water table and Floridan aquifers for mineralized and nonmineralized areas indicate that neither phosphate mineralization nor the industry is a probable factor. For the Lower Floridan aquifer, three separate radium populations are indicated with geometric means of 0.7, 3, and 10 pCi/1. Geometric mean radium-226 content of the water table aquifer is 0.17 pCi/1. Radium in the Floridan aquifer in Manatee and Sarasota Counties is elevated relative to that in the water table and in other areas of Florida. For Sarasota County, geometric mean radium content of the water table is 15 pCi/l versus 7.5 pCi/l in the Floridan. Potential sources include shallow phosphate sediments and monazite sands and possibly crystalline basement rocks or other strata unrelated to phosphatic zones of current economic interest. The existing radium-226 data base is rather marginal in terms of number and spatial distribution of analyses, particularly for the water table and Upper Floridan aquifer. Existing radium data do not substantiate widespread contamination of ground water as a result of the phosphate industry. However, local contamination associated with specific operations has occurred.     

MUNICIPAL AND INDUSTRIAL WATER SUPPLY IN CIUDAD JUAREZ,MEXICO1

Rapid industrialization and population growth in the north Mexican desert city of Ciudad Juarez are placing a serious strain on the city's municipal water resources. Water deliveries and service area have more than doubled over the past decade, and plans for additional expansion are presently being implemented. This expansion is already contributing to water table declines and salinity increases in the Mexican portion of the Heuco Bolson, the sole source of water for the city. Continued mining of the limited fresh water reserves should produce serious water supply problems in the near future. New estimates of future water consumption incorporated into a digital aquifer simulation model indicate that these problems may show up much sooner than was anticipated in previous investigations. The results of this study point to the need to accelerate the gathering of basic data on alternative water resources. The problems faced by Cd. Juarez are illustrative of the kinds of difficulties likely to confront other rapidly developing cities of the arid zone.     

Statistical approach for evaluating the significance of generating new data to the management of the brackish groundwater fields in Kuwait

The brackish groundwater production fields in Kuwait have been drilled intensively during the past three decades. However, poor spatial distribution of some of the measured parameters and limited measurements of others are forcing extended extrapolation during numerical simulations of management schemes. On the other hand, operational, time and budget constraints allow only limited additional field-generated data, raising the question of the significance of their impact on numerical modeling results. This study evaluates this significance by using nearest neighbor statistics and a synthesized data set to assess the impacts of a proposed field investigation on the spatial distribution and kriged values of transmissivity and storage coefficient arrays of the brackish groundwater production fields. A scale for the significance of the impacts was prepared based on the sensitivity of the aquifer system towards the studied properties. The transmissivity data array indicated a 25% reduction in the maximum distance and an 8% increase in the interquartile of the nearest neighbor analysis. The storage coefficient data arrays indicated the extension of the covered area to reach the southern boundary of the study area, which was reflected in more than doubling the maximum distance between the nearest neighbors. For the kriged values of the transmissivity, about 35% of the study area was significantly changed due to the addition of the new data points, while only 10% of the study area was significantly changed for the storage coefficient values. Overall, while the spatial distribution indicators were not conclusive, the significance of the new data was clear in the changes in the kriged values of the aquifer properties. Additionally, this approach highlights the aquifer test locations where the generated data had no impact on the kriged values, which may be utilized for optimizing the allocation and number of the aquifer tests.     

SIMULATING THE EFFECTS OF REDUCED PRECIPITATION ON GROUND WATER AND STREAMFLOW IN THE NEBRASKA SAND HILLS1

ABSTRACT: The Nebraska Sand Hills have a unique hydrologic system with very little runoff and thick aquifers that constantly supply water to rivers, lakes, and wetlands. A ground water flow model was developed to determine the interactions between ground water and streamflow and to simulate the changes in ground water systems by reduced precipitation. The numerical modeling method includes a water balance model for the vadose zone and MOD‐FLOW for the saturated zone. The modeling results indicated that, between 1979 and 1990, 13 percent of the annual precipitation recharged to the aquifer and annual ground water loss by evapotranspiration (ET) was only about one‐fourth of this recharge. Ground water discharge to rivers accounts for about 96 percent of the streamflow in the Dismal and Middle Loup rivers. When precipitation decreased by half the average amount of the 1979 to 1990 period, the average decline of water table over the study area was 0.89 m, and the streamflow was about 87 percent of the present rate. This decline of the water table results in significant reductions in ET directly from ground water and so a significant portion of the streamflow is maintained by capture of the salvaged ET.     

DETERMINATION OF AQUIFER PARAMETERS USING REGRESSION ANALYSIS1

ABSTRACT: Transmissivity and storativity of an aquifer are usually determined by analysis of steady or nonsteady pumping test data. The classical methods of nonsteady pumping test analysis are mostly graphical in nature and are, therefore, subject to errors of judgment in curve fitting, interpolating, and reading graphs and charts. A method is described here which does not require construction of graphs or use of charts and tables. The transmissivity and the storativity are calculated using regression analysis of the nonsteady time drawdown field data. The calculations can readily be performed on a hand held calculator. The procedure is described using four examples, and the results are compared with those obtained from graphical techniques. It is shown that the method is a viable alternative to the type curve solution of Theis or Straight line solution of Jacob for nonleaky artesian aquifers. However, the regression method poses problem in the cases of leaky artesian and water table aquifers.     

Water transfers,agriculture, and groundwater management: a dynamic economic analysis

Water transfers from agricultural to urban and environmental uses will likely become increasingly common worldwide. Many agricultural areas rely heavily on underlying groundwater aquifers. Out-of-basin surface water transfers will increase aquifer withdrawals while reducing recharge, thereby altering the evolution of the agricultural production/groundwater aquifer system over time. An empirical analysis is conducted for a representative region in California. Transfers via involuntary surface water cutbacks tilt the extraction schedule and lower water table levels and net benefits over time. The effects are large for the water table but more modest for the other variables. Break-even prices are calculated for voluntary quantity contract transfers at the district level. These prices differ considerably from what might be calculated under a static analysis which ignores water table dynamics. Canal-lining implies that districts may gain in the short-run but lose over time if all the reduction in conveyance losses is transferred outside the district. Water markets imply an evolving quantity of exported flows over time and a reduction in basin net benefits under common property usage. Most aquifers underlying major agricultural regions are currently unregulated. Out-of-basin surface water transfers increase stress on the aquifer and management benefits can increase substantially in percentage terms but overall continue to remain small. Conversely, we find that economically efficient management can mitigate some of the adverse consequences of transfers, but not in many circumstances or by much. Management significantly reduced the water table impacts of cutbacks but not annual net benefit impacts. Neither the break-even prices nor the canal-lining impacts were altered by much. The most significant difference is that regional water users gain from water markets under efficient management.     

SEASONAL WATER TABLE DYNAMICS OF A SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN FLOODPLAIN AND ASSOCIATED FEN1

ABSTRACT: Appalachian mountain alluvial wetlands include floodplain forests interspersed with fens or bogs. This study evaluates the water table dynamics of an Appalachian mountain flood‐plain which includes a depressional fen. Water table wells and piezometers documented seasonal patterns of the water table and the vertical hydraulic gradient (VHG) in the floodplain and fen areas. Additional water table wells determined the potential sources of water from adjacent hillslopes to the fen area. The water table of the floodplain and the fen exhibited distinct regular seasonal fluctuations. The water table remained near the surface of the fen from late winter through late spring and dropped 20 to 80 cm during the summer between precipitation events. The water table of the floodplain fluctuated more but followed similar patterns and was typically within 40 cm of the surface during late winter and early spring months and greater than 60 cm during the summer months. The water table of the floodplain was more often correlated to precipitation than the water table of the fen. The VHG in the floodplain was highly variable although seasonal patterns of upwelling of water in fall and downwelling in winter were common. The VHG of the fen showed a consistent downwelling of water and suggested that the fen serves as a recharge area for an aquifer. Principal sources of water for the fen appeared to be precipitation, inflow from a shallow aquifer on an adjacent slope plus increased interflow associated with precipitation events from another adjacent slope. The influence of soil texture on water dynamics of the fen or floodplain was not fully ascertained but it appeared to influence horizontal flow from hillslopes and the depth of the water table in the fen.     

Transport and fate of nitrate in a glacial outwash aquifer in relation to ground water age,land use practices,and redox processes

A combination of ground water modeling, chemical and dissolved gas analyses, and chlorofluorocarbon age dating of water was used to determine the relation between changes in agricultural practices, and NO3- concentrations in ground water of a glacial outwash aquifer in west-central Minnesota. The results revealed a redox zonation throughout the saturated zone with oxygen reduction occurring near the water table, NO3- reduction immediately below it, and then a large zone of ferric iron reduction, with a small area of sulfate (SO4(2-)) reduction and methanogenesis (CH4) near the end of the transsect. Analytical and NETPATH modeling results supported the hypothesis that organic carbon served as the electron donor for the redox reactions. Denitrification rates were quite small, 0.005 to 0.047 mmol NO3- yr(-1), and were limited by the small amounts of organic carbon, 0.01 to 1.45%. In spite of the organic carbon limitation, denitrification was virtually complete because residence time is sufficient to allow even slow processes to reach completion. Ground water sample ages showed that maximum residence times were on the order of 50 to 70 yr. Reconstructed NO3- concentrations, estimated from measured NO3- and dissolved N gas showed that NO3- concentrations have been increasing in the aquifer since the 1940s, and have been above the 714 micromol L(-1) maximum contaminant level at most sites since the mid- to late-1960s. This increase in NO3- has been accompanied by a corresponding increase in agricultural use of fertilizer, identified as the major source of NO3- to the aquifer.     

RECHARGE TO ALLUVIAL VALLEY AQUIFERS FROM OVERBANK FLOW AND EXCESS INFILTRATION1

ABSTRACT: Recharge is an important parameter for models that simulate water and contaminant transport in unconfined aquifers. Unfortunately, measurements of actual recharge are not usually available causing recharge to be estimated or possibly added to the calibration procedure. In this study, differences between observed water-table elevations and water-table elevations simulated with a model based on the one-dimensional Boussinesq equation were used to identify both the timing and quantity of recharge to an alluvial valley aquifer. Observed water table elevations and river stage data were recorded during a five-year period from 1991 to 1995 at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area located in south-central Ohio. Direct recharge attributed to overbank flow during and shortly after flood conditions accounted for 65 percent of the total recharge computed during the five-year study period. Recharge of excess infiltration to the aquifer was intermittent and occurred soon after large rainfall events and high river stage. Specification of constant recharge with time values in ground-water simulation models seems inappropriate for stream-aquifer systems given the strong influence of the river on water table elevations in these systems.     

VARIABLE DISCHARGE TYPE CURVE SOLUTIONS FOR CONFINED AQUIFERS1

ABSTRACT: Almost all of the existing solutions of aquifer test analysis assume constant discharge rate boundary conditions. In many actual pumping tests, constant discharge cannot be maintained. This paper presents a general solution for an aquifer test with variable discharge. The exact solution of drawdown distribution around an infinitesimally small diameter well in a uniform, horizontal, extensive, homogeneous, and isotropic confined aquifer is presented when the discharge changes with time during the aquifer test period. A general equation for the type curves resulting from any discharge variability is given, and its application for the exponential changes is presented in detail. A simple straight line procedure is proposed for field applications by considering late time drawdown data. The consideration of constant discharge leads to overestimation of transmissivity but storativity is underestimated. Practical application of the discharge variability is illustrated by a field example.     

MODELING PERCOLATION LOSSES FROM A PONDED FIELD UNDER VARIABLE WATER-TABLE CONDITIONS1

ABSTRACT: A numerical simulation model was developed to predict the vertical and lateral percolation losses from a ponded agricultural field. The two-dimensional steady-state unsaturated/ saturated flow equation was solved using the finite-difference technique. A constant ponding depth was maintained at the soil surface with different water table conditions in an application of the model for rice fields bordered by bunds. Field experiments were conducted for two different water table depths to collect data on the spatial distribution of volumetric soil-moisture content for model verification. The measured soil-moisture content values were found to be in close agreement with those predicted by the model. The sensitivity analysis of the model with selected hydrologic conditions shows that the model is most sensitive to the values of saturated hydraulic conductivity, but relatively less sensitive to water table depth, ponding depth, and evaporation rate from the soil surface. It implies that, in a ponded rice field condition, the lateral and vertical percolation losses are mostly governed by the hydraulic conductivity of the soil. The vertical percolation losses were almost equal to the saturated hydraulic conductivity values and, in most cases, these losses increased with deeper water table depths. The lateral percolation losses also increased with deeper water table depths; however, these losses were relatively small in comparison to the vertical percolation losses. The vertical and lateral percolation losses increased with the increase in ponding depths. The lateral percolation losses through the bund decreased when the evaporation losses increased from the soil surface. The results of this study indicate that the percolation losses from a ponded field may be predicted accurately for a wide range of soil and hydrological conditions when the values of hydraulic conductivity, evaporation rate, depth of ponding, and water table depth are accurately known.     

CHARACTERIZING GROUND WATER FLOW IN THE MUNICIPAL WELL FIELDS OF CEDAR RAPIDS,IOWA, WITH SELECTED ENVIRONMENTAL TRACERS1

ABSTRACT: Cedar Rapids obtains its municipal water supply from a shallow alluvial aquifer along the Cedar River in east-central Iowa. Water samples were collected and analyzed for selected isotopes and chlorofluorocarbons to characterize the ground-water flow system near the municipal well fields. Analyses of deuterium and oxygen-18 indicate that water in the alluvial aquifer and in the underlying carbonate bedrock aquifer was recharged from precipitation during modern climatic conditions. Analyses of tritium indicate modern, post-1952, water in the alluvial aquifer and older, pre-1952, water in the bedrock aquifer. Mixing of the modern and older waters occurs in areas where (1) the confining layer between the two aquifers is discontinuous, (2) the bedrock aquifer is fractured, or (3) pumping of supply wells induces the flow of water between aquifers. Analyses of chlorofluorocarbons were used to determine the date of recharge of water samples. Water in the bedrock aquifer likely was recharged prior to the 1950s. Water in the alluvial aquifer likely was recharged from the 1960s to 1990s. Biodegradation or sorption probably affected some of the ground water analyzed for chlorofluorocarbons. These processes reduce the concentrations of CFCs, which results in older than actual calculated dates of recharge.     

CRITICAL EVALUATION OF CERTAIN METHODS OF UNSTEADY GROUNDWATER HYDRAULICS1

The basic theories and fundamental assumptions usually employed in the solution of unsteady groundwater flow problems are reviewed critically. The best known method of analysis for such problems is based on the Dupuit-Forchheimer approximation and leads to a nonlinear parabolic differential equation which is generally solved by linearization or numerical methods. The accuracy of the solution to this equation can be improved by use of a different approach which does not employ the Dupuit Forchheimer assumption, but rather is based on a semi-numerical solution of the Laplace equation for quasi-steady conditions. The actual unsteady process is replaced by a sequence of steady-state conditions, and it is assumed that the actual unsteady flow characteristics during a short time interval can be approximated by those associated with “average” steady state flow. The Laplace equation is solved by a semi-discretization method according to which the horizontal coordinate is divided into subintervals, while the vertical coordinate is maintained continuous. The proposed method is applied to a typical tile drainage problem, and, based on a comparison of calculated results with experimental data, the method is evaluated and practical conclusions regarding its applicability are advanced.     

AQUIFER SALINIZATION IN THE YUN‐LIN COASTAL AREA,TAIWAN1

ABSTRACT: This study analyzes possible causes of shallow ground water salinization in the coastal area of Yun‐Lin. The local hydro‐geologic setting is determined from geological drilling data and sea floor topography. Three possible causes (sea water intrusion, salt water percolation through wells, and infiltration of salty water from fish ponds) are evaluated. Chloride concentration is used as an index to measure ground water salinization. Sea water intrusion is modeled by the advective/dispersive equation, and salt water infiltration from wells and fish ponds is calculated by estimating the amount of water percolated. The determined local hydrogeologic setting suggests that the shallow aquifer may be connected to the sea water, resulting in salt water intrusion as a large amount of shallow ground water is withdrawn. The percent contributions of sea water intrusion, percolation through wells, and infiltration of water from fish ponds, to the salinization of the shallow aquifer at Ko‐Hu in the Yun‐Lin coastal area are approximately 27 percent, less than 1 percent and 73 percent, respectively. The results suggest that the vertical infiltration of salt water from fish ponds is the major cause of shallow ground water salinization in the coastal area of Yun‐Lin.