FOR462: Watershed Science & Management

Groundwater Fundamentals

Module 9.1

Start Audio Lecture!

1
 FOR462: Watershed Science & Management

Groundwater

2 Source: Wisler & Brater, 1949, Hydrology

 FOR462: Watershed Science & Management

Groundwater Flow…

…Produces
Baseflow
3
 FOR462: Watershed Science & Management

Groundwater as a “slow” reservoir

4
 FOR462: Watershed Science & Management

Groundwater Terminology

5
 FOR462: Watershed Science & Management

Confined and Unconfined Aquifers

6
 FOR462: Watershed Science & Management

Artesian Well

7
 FOR462: Watershed Science & Management

More on Aquifer Types…

8
 FOR462: Watershed Science & Management

Hydraulic Head

Pressure:
P = ρgh p
Where:
 = density of water (kg m-3)
g = gravitational acceleration (m s -2)
hp = pressure head
hp
a ht
Total hydraulic head (ht):
z
ht = z + h p
datum
Where:
z = elevation
hp = pressure head

9
 FOR462: Watershed Science & Management

Darcy’s Law

Darcy’s Law defines groundwater flow:

dht
Q = kv A
dx
where:
Q is discharge (L3 T-1)
kv is the hydraulic conductivity (L T-1)
A is area of flow (L2), and
dht/dx is the gradient of pressure, or head
10
 FOR462: Watershed Science & Management

Hydraulic Conductivity (kv)

11 Hornberger, 1998
 FOR462: Watershed Science & Management

Example

800 m 85 m
2m

kh=5 m day-1
Fine sand 25 m

Q = kv A
dht
dx
( )m ⎛ 2 .0 m ⎞
= 5 day (25 m × 85 m )⎜ m3
⎟ = 26.6 day
⎝ 800 m ⎠

12
 FOR462: Watershed Science & Management

Groundwater Development

13
 FOR462: Watershed Science & Management

Groundwater/Surface Water Connections

Gaining Stream
In systems with high degree of
groundwater/surface water connectivity
(highly transmissive sediments)

Pumping Well

Cone of
Groundwater Depression

14
 FOR462: Watershed Science & Management

Subsidence

Causes:
Fluid withdrawal
Sinkholes
Drainage of
Organic soils
Mining
From USGS Professional Paper
1401-A, "Ground water in the
Central Valley, California- A
summary report"
Photo by Dick Ireland, USGS,
1977

15
 FOR462: Watershed Science & Management

Recharge Zone Protection Example

Unconfined
Aquifer

Recharge Zone
Confined Aquifer
landfill

Municipal well field

m etr i c surface
Piezo l
Grave
Clay flow
Clay

16
 FOR462: Watershed Science & Management

Groundwater Development

• Multiple pumping wells can cause

interference between cones of depression
• Extraction should not exceed recharge
• Water mining
• Extraction may cause subsidence
• Recharge zones should be protected
• Ensure adequate water flow
• Ensure quality
• Extraction may affect surface water
• Many watershed management actions are
taken to protect quality
17
 FOR462: Watershed Science & Management

Gaining and Losing Streams

Gaining stream Losing stream

Effluent stream Influent stream

Perched losing stream Flow-through stream

18 Dingman
 FOR462: Watershed Science & Management

Hyporheic Zone

• Zone where water is

exchanged between
surface and
groundwater
• Controlled by
geomorphology
(upwelling and
downwelling)
• Biochemical
processing: water
quality & habitat
issues
• Temperature

19
 FOR462: Watershed Science & Management

2nd-Order / Unconstrained reach of WS03, HJA

Floodplain

Bedrock

Equipotential lines

Scale (m)

0 25 50
20 Kasahara & Wondzell (2003) Water Resour. Res.
 FOR462: Watershed Science & Management

Proposed C & D Landfill Example

Modeled
Creek Zone exceeding
MCL’s for drinking contaminant
water plumes
Old
Constituents of Concern Gravel
Increased, but Pit
Sulfate
MCL’s for drinking
Arsenic Water not exceeded
Chromium
Iron
1,2-DCA
Total Dissolved Solids

Glacial Outwash
Domestic Wells

Flow Direction

Municipal Wells
21