Groundwater Resources Assessment

Your Guide to Effective Groundwater Management Groundwater Assessment, Modeling, and Management discusses a variety of groundwater problems and outlines the solutions needed to sustain surface and ground water resources on a global scale. Contributors from around the world lend their expertise and provide an international perspective on groundwater management. They address the management of groundwater resources and pollution, waste water treatment methods, and the impact of climate change on groundwater and water availability (specifically in arid and semi-arid regions such as India and Africa). Incorporating management with science and modeling, the book covers all areas of groundwater resource assessment, modeling, and management, and combines hands-on applications with relevant theory. For Water Resource Managers and Decision Makers The book describes techniques for the assessment of groundwater potential, pollution, prevention, and remedial measures, and includes a new approach for groundwater modeling based on connections (network theory). Approximately 30 case studies and six hypothetical studies are introduced reflecting a range of themes that include: groundwater basics and the derivation of groundwater flow equations, exploration and assessment, aquifer parameterization, augmentation of aquifer, water and environment, water and agriculture, the role of models and their application, and water management policies and issues. The book describes remote sensing (RS) applications, geographical information systems (GIS), and electrical resistivity methods to delineate groundwater potential zones. It also takes a look at: Inverse modeling (pilot-points method) Simulation optimization models Radionuclide migration studies through mass transport modeling Modeling for mapping groundwater potential Modeling for vertical 2-D and 3-D groundwater flow Groundwater Assessment, Modeling, and Management explores the management of water resources and the impact of climate change on groundwater. Expert contributors provide practical information on hydrologic engineering and groundwater resources management for students, researchers, scientists, and other practicing professionals in environmental engineering, hydrogeology, irrigation, geophysics, and environmental science.

The development of environmentally sound groundwater resources has recently become a high priority throughout the world. Many countries are currently developing comprehensive regulations for the management of groundwater resources. Within this framework an assessment of renewable groundwater resources is one of the most important factors. This book is based on the author's many years of experience in the assessment of surface and subsurface water resources, field experiments and computer oriented work, in both developed and developing countries. An environmental approach is followed. Groundwater resources are seen as a part of the aquatic ecosystem in which not only geology but the whole lithosphere, vegetation, surface resources and atmosphere play an equally important role. Both simple and advanced models are presented, which can also be applied to complicated geological structures where standard groundwater models fail to operate. Conceptual and stochastic models are presented in a form which the reader can use as a guide for further model development - an approach much in demand in regions where many different features and a variety of data are available. Experimental work leading to the identification of groundwater resources is also broadly discussed. The book will prove valuable to students at university level, researchers, institutes, departments, and consultancies involved in water resources.

This book provides comprehensive coverage on the assessment and management of groundwater. It contains the work of international experts in the field of groundwater resource evaluation, characterization, augmentation, restoration, modeling and management.

Groundwater development has shown phenomenal progress in our country during past few decades. There has been a vast improvement in the perception, outlook and significance of groundwater resource. Groundwater is a dynamic system. It is dynamic in the sense that the state of any hydrological system is changing with time, and in the sense that we are continually developing new scientific techniques to evaluate these systems. The total annual replenishable groundwater resource of India is around 431 BCM. Inspite of the national scenario on the availability of groundwater being favourable, there are many areas in the country facing scarcity of water. This is because of the unplanned groundwater development resulting in fall of water levels, failure of wells, and salinity ingress in coastal areas. The development and over-exploitation of groundwater resources in certain parts of the country have raised the concern and need for judicious and scientific resource management and conservation. A complexity of factors - hydrogeological, hydrological and climatological, control the groundwater occurrence and movement. The precise assessment of recharge and discharge is rather difficult, as no techniques are currently available for their direct measurements. Hence, the methods employed for groundwater resource estimation are all indirect. Groundwater being a dynamic and replenishable resource is generally estimated based on the component of annual recharge, which could be subjected to development by means of suitable groundwater structures. Mathematical models are tools, which are frequently used in studying groundwater systems. In general, mathematical models are used to simulate (or to predict) the groundwater flow. Predictive simulations must be viewed as estimates, dependent upon the quality and uncertainty of the input data. Model conceptualization is the process in which data describing field conditions are assembled in a systematic way to describe groundwater flow processes at a site. The model conceptualization aids in determining the modelling approach and which model software to use. Taking the base from my lecture notes delivered in various training courses during last 26 years and further editing and additions, I have developed this book titled “Groundwater Assessment and Modelling”. The book is intended to provide a comprehensive treatise related to assessment and modelling of groundwater. It includes chapters on assessment of groundwater potential, groundwater data requirement and analysis, basic concepts and guidelines for groundwater modelling, groundwater modelling software, modelling of unsaturated flow, modelling of sea water intrusion, and impact of climate change on groundwater resources. I hope this book will be quite useful for undergraduate and postgraduate students (water resources engineering), field engineers and researchers working in the area of assessment, development and management of groundwater resources.

The hydrogeological aspect of groundwater science is universal and applied in nature to have a sustainable water resource development with social, economic, ecological, cultural and aesthetic background. Since 99% of the world's fresh available water is groundwater; yet, the majority of financial resources are directed to surface water found in rivers and lakes. This serious imbalance requires urgent redress. This volume is addresses the issue to facilitate the joint analysis of groundwater management studies and problems faced by scientist, engineers, managers and other scholars from natural and applied sciences. Significant financial support is required for basic groundwater research if sustainable development is to be a realistic goal. As a fresh water resource, groundwater has major advantages over surface water. This is the basic idea that explicitly appears in almost all paper of this book. The authors have tried to focus their task on those topics that seemed to us more urgent and relevant and have paid much attention to questions related to management of aquifers, groundwater pollution, the long-term problems and the key issues in developing countries, where majority of world population live and where at present enormous groundwater abstraction occurs. We (editors) have dissipated proper information in a systematic scientific manner to make the concept of groundwater management and sustainability understandable to everyone, through this book. The book provides a platform to bring together earth scientists, professionals from chemical and engineering science disciplines, public health professionals and social scientists involved with the management and development of groundwater resources. The book is expected to reflect the current understanding of all the issues related to management of groundwater resources and their sustainable use.

This book focuses on scientific and technological aspects of groundwater-resources assessment and surveillance. It describes relevant risks and investigates selected techniques for the monitoring and mitigation of the individuated threats to groundwater quality. The authors discuss the concepts of groundwater-resources protection and offer examples of both geogenic and anthropogenic degradation of groundwater quality, such as heavy metals from mining activities and natural water-rock interactions, as well as risk of contamination due to geological CO2 storage practices etc. The volume also covers non-invasive monitoring techniques and briefly addresses innovative sensor technologies for the online assessment of water quality. Furthermore, the role played by geochemical techniques, the potential of environmental isotopes and the support provided by physical modelling are highlighted. The chapters guide the reader through various viewpoints, according to the diverse disciplines involved, without aiming to be exhaustive, but instead picking representative topics for their relevance in the context of groundwater protection and control. This book will be of interest to advanced students, researchers, policy-makers and stakeholders at various levels.