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Groundwater-level measurements in monitoring wells or piezometers are the most common, and often the only, hydrologic measurements made at artificial recharge facilities. Measurements of gravity change over time provide an additional source of information about changes in groundwater storage, infiltration, and for model calibration. We demonstrate that for an artificial recharge facility with a deep groundwater table, gravity data are more sensitive to movement of water through the unsaturated zone than are groundwater levels. Groundwater levels have a delayed response to infiltration, change in a similar manner at many potential monitoring locations, and are heavily influenced by high-frequency noise induced by pumping; in contrast, gravity changes start immediately at the onset of infiltration and are sensitive to water in the unsaturated zone. Continuous gravity data can determine infiltration rate, and the estimate is only minimally affected by uncertainty in water-content change. Gravity data are also useful for constraining parameters in a coupled groundwater-unsaturated zone model (Modflow-NWT model with the Unsaturated Zone Flow (UZF) package).

Water managers must balance the need for clean and safe drinking water with ever-increasing amounts of waste-water. A technique for treating and storing surface water called “managed aquifer recharge” (MAR) is frequently used to help maintain this balance. When MAR is used to produce drinking water, water managers must ensure that disease-causing microbial contaminants are removed from the water prior to its distribution. This thesis examined the processes responsible for removing a specific class of microbial contaminants called “enteric viruses” during MAR. Viruses are naturally removed in groundwater through adsorption and inactivation mechanisms. This thesis investigated how these virus removal mechanisms were affected by ionic strength (IS), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and the age of the sand used in a MAR infiltration basin. This was done using batch and flow-through column experiments designed to mimic conditions characteristic of a basin infiltration MAR scheme in Uppsala, Sweden. Bacteriophage MS2 was used as a proxy for enteric viruses. All of the experiments were conducted at 4°C. Experimental data were modeled to describe the fate and transport of viruses in the infiltrated groundwater. Conventional least-squares optimization and generalized likelihood uncertainty estimation (GLUE) were compared as model fitting-approaches in order to determine how data uncertainty affects parameter estimates and model predictions. Results showed that the sand used in the infiltration basins accumulates adsorbed organic matter as it is exposed to infiltrating surface waters. This reduced the amount of MS2 that was removed due to adsorption and inactivation. Results from GLUE indicated that MS2 is more likely to inactivate in a time-dependent manner when in the presence of sand with high concentrations of organic matter. Both model fitting techniques indicated that virus attachment rates were significantly lower for sand with high organic carbon content. Neither methodology was capable of adequately capturing the kinetics of virus adsorption. Uncertainties in the experimental data had a large effect on the conclusions that could be drawn from fitted models. This study showed that the presence of natural organic matter reduces the value of the infiltration basin as a microbial barrier.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of requirements for the degree of Master of Science. Johannesburg, 2017. / A study on groundwater recharge and processes controlling recharge was conducted in the Upper Crocodile catchment, located in the Johannesburg region. The catchment extends from the water divide south of Johannesburg, to the Hartbeespoort Dam in the North-West Province. The study area is predominantly underlain by the crystalline basement and meta-sedimentary rocks. The Upper Crocodile catchment is classified as a semi-arid region, receiving a mean annual rainfall of 699.3 mm/yr. Groundwater recharge was quantitatively and qualitatively assessed using the water balance, baseflow separation, water table fluctuation and environmental isotope methods. The water balance and the baseflow separation methods resulted in recharge amounts of 4 and 5.8% of mean annual rainfall, respectively. The water table fluctuation method was only applied to the dolomitic aquifer and yielded a mean annual recharge estimate of 14% of the mean annual rainfall. Application of the isotopic shift method, which makes use of isotopically enriched water samples, resulted in a recharge amount of 10.19 to 23.90 mm/month obtained for the quartzites of the Witwatersrand Supergroup, south of the study area. Tritium was used to determine the residence time of stream water samples, collected during winter to represent baseflow. Additionally, it was used to understand the range of groundwater contribution to streams. The tritium values revealed that there are three types of water; i) relatively old water with lower tritium values, ii) intermediate tritium values indicating the possibility of mixing of older groundwater with more recent recharge and iii) high tritium values suggesting contamination from a local source/recent rainwater. The results of groundwater recharge from the quantitative methods showed a temporal and spatial variability of recharge; this was attributed to the different processes that govern groundwater recharge. Climate appeared to have the most influence on potential groundwater recharge, with rainfall controlling the temporal variability of recharge while land cover, soil characteristics and geology influenced the spatial distribution of groundwater recharge. Approximately 153 x 106 m3/yr of wastewater was discharged into streamflow from wastewater treatment works as of 2008. The wastewater flow into streams overshadowed the baseflow contribution. The consequence of the presence of wastewater was reflected in the overestimation of groundwater recharge. / LG2017

O objetivo principal deste trabalho é estimar a recarga direta e profunda do Sistema Aqüífero Guarani (SAG) na bacia representativa do Ribeirão da Onça. Paralelamente são analisados os comportamentos do aqüífero e da evapotranspiração na bacia. A bacia do Ribeirão da Onça apresenta características representativas típicas da região de afloramento do Sistema Aqüífero Guarani (SAG) no Estado de São Paulo. A bacia do Ribeirão da Onça tem a vantagem de ser uma bacia amplamente estudada em vários aspectos referentes à sua hidrologia e hidrogeologia. Obtiveram-se dados suficientes para fazer um balanço hídrico da bacia monitorada por um ano hidrológico e extrair uma estimativa da recarga direta e profunda nesta zona de afloramento do Sistema Aqüífero Guarani. Utilizaram-se dados da flutuação do nível do aqüífero para estimar a recarga direta e a variação do armazenamento subterrâneo. Os poços de monitoramento foram distribuídos em diversas culturas, possibilitando uma análise do comportamento do aqüífero por cultura. Estimou-se que a recarga direta do sistema, na bacia, está em torno de 400 mm anuais. A estimativa da recarga profunda indica um valor entre zero e 40 mm. A análise do comportamento do aqüífero mostra que a recarga direta é menor em solos cultivados com eucalipto e maior em áreas cultivadas com pastagem. A variação do nível do aqüífero apresenta forte correlação entre as culturas, exceto a de eucaliptos. A posição dos poços é fator fundamental para a estimativa da recarga direta. Terrenos mais planos tendem a produzir uma maior recarga direta do aqüífero. Avaliaram-se métodos de estimativa de evapotranspiração. A avaliação foi realizada entre alguns métodos empíricos e a evapotranspiração obtida através do balanço hídrico. Estimou-se uma evapotranspiração em torno de 900 mm anuais a partir do balanço hídrico. Todos os métodos empíricos e semi- empiríco, com exceção do de Thornthwaite, superestimaram a evapotranspiração quando comparados ao valor estimado pelo balanço hídrico. O método de Hargreaves-Samani foi o que mais se distanciou, com 1894 mm anuais. O método de Thornthwaite foi o que mais se aproximou, com 936 mm anuais, com discrepância de apenas entre 3% e -6% do valor estimado pelo balanço hídrico. A utilização dos métodos empíricos e semi- empíricos de estimativa da evapotranspiração, para estudos da recarga de aqüíferos na região da zona de afloramento do Sistema Aqüífero Guarani no estado de São Paulo, deve ser vista com cautela. Só uma avaliação prolongada poderá indicar quais os métodos mais se aproximam da realidade. Pelos resultados obtidos, recomenda-se a revisão das estimativas de disponibilidade hídrica sustentável do Sistema Aqüífero Guarani e a utilização com cautela dos métodos empíricos e semi-empíricos de estimativa da evapotranspiração, para estudos hidrológicos no estado de São Paulo. A análise do monitoramento da bacia do Ribeirão da Onça só vem a confirmar a representatividade dos estudos feitos nessa região e a grande relevância que esses estudos terão para o gerenciamento desse importante reservatório que é o Sistema Aqüífero Guarani / The main objective of this work is to esteem the recharge direct and deep in the Guarani Aquifer System (GAS) at the representative basin of Ribeirão da Onça. At the same time, the behavior and the evapotranspiration at the water basin have been studied. The Ribeirão da Onça water basin has typical representative characteristics on the outcrop region in the Guarani Aquifer System (GAS) in the São Paulo State. Its hydrology and hydrogeology have been widely studied under several aspects, what consists of an advantage. It had been gotten enough data to make a water balance of the monitored water basin for one hydrological year and get out the direct and deep recharge estimate at this outcrop region of the Guarani Aquifer System. It had been used data of the aquifer level fluctuation in order to estimate the direct recharge and the subterranean storage. The monitoring wells are distributed in several crops, making the behavior in the aquifer per crop analysis possible. The estimated direct recharge of the system, at the water basin, is about 400 mm. The estimated deep recharge is between zero and 40 mm. The aquifer behavior analysis shows that the direct recharge is smaller in soils with eucalyptus cultivated than it is in other crops. The wells position is also an important aspect to the direct recharge. Plainer and higher lands tend to produce a greater direct recharge of the aquifer. Evapotranspiration esteem methods had been also evaluated. The evaluation was made with some empirical methods and the evapotranspiration gotten through to the water balance. The evapotranspiration estimated through the water balance was about 900 mm per year. All the empirical and semi-empirical methods, excepting Thornthwaite, overestimated the evapotranspiration if compared to the water balance estimated value. The Hargreaves-Samani´s method was the most far-away, with 1894 mm per year. The Thornthwaite method was the closest, with 936 mm per year, only between -6% and 3% of the estimated value through the water balance. The use of empirical and semi-empirical methods to esteem the evapotranspiration, in order to study the aquifers recharge in the region of the outcrop zone of the Guarani Aquifer System at São Paulo State, must be used with caution. Only a long-term evaluation could say which methods get closer to the reality. Through the analysis of the gotten results, it is recommended a revision of the estimated sustained water accessibility of the Guarani Aquifer System and the cautious use of the empirical and semi- empirical methods to esteem the evapotranspiration, to hydrological studies at São Paulo State. The analysis of the monitoring of the Ribeirão da Onça water basin comes to prove the active role of the studies in this region and the importance that this studies will have to the management of this great reservoir that is the Guarani Aquifer System

Many small communities depend on groundwater sources for drinking water and they often use septic tanks for their sewer system needs. However, nitrates and other pollutants from septic systems can percolate to the aquifers and deteriorate quality of the groundwater, threatening the public health. This study has developed a groundwater model using Visual MODFLOW for an aquifer that is used as a water supply source for the cities of Beaumont and Cherry Valley, California. Septic systems are the suspected major source of nitrate contamination of the aquifer. The model has been developed to clarify the extent of interactions between nitrate pollutants, infiltration and percolation from a recently established series of artificial recharge ponds, groundwater recharge from natural sources, and pumping activities to meet local water uses. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate alternative hydraulic solutions that would limit the movement of the contaminants and minimize the risk of affecting the pumping wells. The study attempts to identify the best way to recharge the aquifer and influence movement of the nitrates so that polluted waters may have lower nitrate concentrations in the future, rather than allowed to encroach on critical production wells or led away from production wells to become a problem for future generations or neighboring areas. The data needed to build the model, including geological logs, precipitation, evapotranspiration, well locations, pumping schedules, water levels, and nitrate concentrations have been obtained from the Beaumont Cherry Valley Water District. The model has been calibrated to simulate the observed groundwater levels and the extent of pollution corresponding to the historical pumping rates, recharge rates and climate. The calibrated model has been used to evaluate alternative hydraulic solutions that would either localize the nitrate pollution thus limiting the impact on public welfare, or remove the nitrate pollution for potential treatment and remediation on the surface. The study results show that increased pumping of production wells or strategic placement of additional artificial recharge may reduce the concentrations of nitrate in the Beaumont Basin.

In a shallow aquifer underlain by low permeable material, groundwater recharge (R), discharge to rivers or stream as baseflow (BF), and discharge to the atmosphere as evapotranspiration (ET) are related by a simple water balance equation, R - ET - BF = ΔS. Gathering information about these processes is difficult since these processes are hidden from view, yet these processes commingle with one another at the water table surface. The main objective of this dissertation project was to evaluate how main hydrological processes can be inferred from high-resolution water table measurements collected at various sites in Walnut Creek watershed located in southern Iowa. Water table monitoring data available for analysis in the project included three main sites, covering 2573 days between 1996 to 2008 and 61,714 individual water level monitoring points. Water table fluctuations were used to estimate R across an upland-floodplain chronosequence and plant ET under three riparian land covers. High resolution hydraulic head measurements were analyzed with spectral methods to evaluate potential surface and groundwater interaction. Detailed sedimentology and water table monitoring were combined to develop a conceptual model of nitrate leaching to in the near-stream riparian zone of an incised channel. Additional soil moisture and precipitation monitoring are recommended for improved application of methods to other sites. Results from this dissertation indicate that there is a considerable amount of information about key hydrological processes to be gained by measuring water table levels at a high frequency.

>Magister Scientiae - MSc / The current study aimed at providing groundwater recharge estimates in a fractured rock aquifer environment that is occupied by pine plantation and indigenous forests in order to improve the understanding of the effect of pine plantation forests on recharge. This was based on the argument that for the trees to affect recharge, they do not necessarily need to tap directly from the saturated zone, as vegetation may indirectly affect groundwater recharge by interception and abstracting the infiltrating water in the vadose zone before reaching the water table. The study was conducted along the Southern Cape coastline of Western Cape Province in South Africa. This area is 7 km east of George in an area characterized by the occurrence of the Table Mountain Group aquifer. The research presented in this thesis formed part of a Water Research Commission (WRC) project titled “The Impacts of Commercial Plantation Forests on Groundwater Recharge and Streamflow”. To achieve the aim of the current study, three objectives were formulated: i) to characterize the dominantly occurring recharge mechanism ii) to determine long-term groundwater recharge estimates, and iii) to assess the effect of plantation forests on groundwater recharge. As part of characterizing the dominant recharge mechanism in the area, a conceptual groundwater recharge model of the area was developed to explain the recharge mechanism and facilitate an improved understanding of recharge estimates. The model was based on a theoretical understanding and previous investigations conducted in the study area. Methods such as environmental stable isotopes and hydrochemistry were used to refine the conceptual model by identifying the source of recharge and the dominant recharge mechanism. The occurrence and density of lineaments were used as a proxy to delineate potential recharge zones in the area. Recharge was estimated using the Rainfall Infiltration Breakthrough (RIB) and the Chloride Mass Balance (CMB) methods. Additionally, the effect of plantation forests on recharge was assessed using the HYDRUS-2D numerical model. The recharge estimates derived from the RIB and CMB techniques were verified using the published maps by Vegter (1995).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Delaware, 2006. / Principal faculty advisor: William J. Ullman, College of Marine and Earth Studies. Includes bibliographical references.

Near-surface sediments play an important role in governing the movement of water and contaminants from the land surface through the vadose zone to groundwater. Generally, low permeability surficial soils restrict water flow through the vadose zone and form a natural protective barrier to migration of surface applied contaminants. These types of fine-grained soils commonly contain macropores, such as fractures, animal burrows, and root holes, that have been identified as preferential flow pathways in the subsurface. Accordingly, macropores have the potential to influence groundwater recharge rates and compromise the protective capacity of surficial soils, particularly where the overburden is thin and aquifers are close to the surface. Partially saturated flow and transport in these environments is inherently complex and not well understood. The objective of this thesis was to examine preferential flow processes and the associated movement of contaminants in macroporous, low permeability soils. This was accomplished by conducting numerical and field experiments to investigate and describe the dynamics of macropore flow during episodic infiltration through the vadose zone and evaluate the corresponding influence of macropores on vertical water flow and contaminant transport. Numerical simulations were conducted to identify the important physical factors controlling flow and transport behaviour in partially saturated, fractured soils. A three-dimensional discrete fracture model, HydroGeoSphere, was used to simulate infiltration into homogeneous soil blocks containing a single vertical rough-walled fracture. Relatively large rainfall events with return periods ranging from 5 to 100 years were used, since they are more likely to generate significant preferential flow. Initial results showed that flow system dynamics were considerably more sensitive to matrix properties, namely permeability and antecedent moisture content, than fracture properties. Capillary forces, combined with the larger water storage capacity in the soil matrix, resulted in significant fracture-matrix interaction which effectively limited preferential flow down the fracture. It is also believed that fracture-matrix interaction reduced the influence of fracture roughness and other related small-scale fracture properties. The results imply that aperture variability within individual fractures may be neglected when modeling water flow through unsaturated soils. Nevertheless, fracture flow was still an important process since the fracture carried the majority of the water flow and virtually all of the mass of a surface applied tracer to depth in the soil profile. Model runs designed to assess transport variability under a variety of different physical settings, including a wider range of soil types, were also completed. Vertical contaminant fluxes were examined at several depths in the soil profile. The results showed that the presence of macropores (in the form of fractures) was more important than matrix permeability in controlling the rate of contaminant migration through soils. The depth of contaminant migration was strongly dependent on the antecedent moisture content and the presence of vertically connected fractures. Soil moisture content played a pivotal role in determining the onset and extent of preferential flow, with initially wet soils much more prone to macropore flow and deep contaminant migration. Simulations showed that surface applied tracers were able to reach the base of 2 m thick fractured soil profiles under wetter soil conditions (i.e., shallow water table). Likewise, long-duration, low-intensity rainfall events that caused the soil to wet up more resulted in proportionately more contaminant flux at depth. Fractured soils were particularly susceptible to rapid colloid movement with particle travel times to depths of 2 m on the order of minutes. The main implication is that the vulnerability of shallow groundwater is related more to vertical macropore continuity and moisture conditions in the soil profile, rather than traditional factors such as soil thickness and permeability. Macropore flow and transport processes under field conditions were investigated using small-scale infiltration experiments at sites in Elora and Walkerton, Ontario. A series of equal-volume infiltration experiments were conducted at both sites using a tension infiltrometer (TI) to control the (negative) infiltration pressures and hence the potential for macropore flow. A simulated rainfall experiment was also conducted on a small plot at Walkerton for comparison with the TI tests. Brilliant Blue FCF dye and fluorescent microsphere tracers were applied in all tests as surrogates for dissolved and colloidal contaminant species, respectively. Upon completion of infiltration, excavations were completed to examine and photograph the dye-stained flow patterns, map soil and macropore features, and collect soil samples for analysis of microspheres. Cylindrical macropores, in the form of earthworm burrows, were the most prevalent macropore type at both sites. In the TI tests, there was a clear relationship between the vertical extent of infiltration and the maximum pressure head applied to the TI disc. Larger infiltration pressures resulted in increased infiltration rates, more spatial and temporal variability in soil water content, and increased depths of dye penetration, all of which were attributed to preferential flow along macropores. Preferential flow was limited to tests with applied pressure heads greater than -3 cm. Under the largest applied pressures (greater than -1.0 cm), dye staining was observed between 0.7 and 1.0 m depth, which is near the seasonal maximum water table depth at both field sites. The tension infiltrometer was also used to infiltrate dye along an exposed vertical soil face, thereby providing a rare opportunity to directly observe transient macropore flow processes. The resulting vertical flow velocities within the macropores were on the order of tens of meters per day, illustrating the potential for rapid subsurface flow in macropores, even under partially saturated conditions. The results suggest that significant flow occurred in partially saturated macropores and this was supported by simple calculations using recent liquid configuration models for describing flow in idealized macropores. On all excavated sections, microspheres were preferentially retained (relative to the dye) in the top five centimeters of the soil profile. Below this zone, dye patterns correlated well with the presence of microspheres in the soil samples. There was evidence for increased retention of microspheres at lower water contents as well as a slightly greater extent of transport for smaller microspheres. In general, the microsphere and dye distributions were clearly dictated by vadose zone flow processes. As in the numerical experiments, water storage in the soil matrix and related macropore-matrix interaction were important factors. Mass transfer of water through the macropore walls promoted flow initiation in the macropores near surface. Deeper in the soil, water drawn away from the macropores into the matrix significantly retarded the downward movement of water along the macropores. Imbibition of dye from the macropores into the matrix was repeatedly observed on excavated soil sections and during the transient dye test. Microspheres were also transported laterally into the soil matrix indicating that conceptual models for colloid transport in the vadose zone need to account for this mass transfer process. Overall, the tension infiltrometer performed extremely well as a tool for controlling macropore flow under field conditions and, together with the dye and microsphere tracers, provided unique and valuable insights into small-scale flow and transport behavior. The field experiments raise concerns about the vulnerability of shallow groundwater in regions with thin, macroporous soils. Only a fraction of the visible macropores contributed to flow and transport at depths greater than 40 cm. However, with dye and microsphere transport observed to more than 1.0 m depth, rapid macropore flow velocities, and the sheer number of macropores present, there was clearly potential for significant flow and transport to depth via macropores. Under the right conditions, it is reasonable to speculate that macropores may represent a significant pathway for migration of surface applied contaminants to groundwater over the course of a single rainfall event.