CHAPTER 2

Information in groundwater resource

Information required includes
 2.1 Groundwater recharge amount
 2.2 Geohydrological information
 2.3 Piezometric data
 2.4 Abstraction rate
2.1 Quantifying groundwater recharge

 Estimation of groundwater recharge at a basin level can be

quantified using the following methods.
 water balance method
 Hydrograph separation
 Conventional Method
 Isotope method
 Chloride mass balance
 Water level fluctuation
 2.1.1 water balance method
Water balance is a balance between the incoming
water in the form of precipitation and the outflow of
water in the form of evapotranspiration, groundwater
discharge and runoff. In some cases
there might be a change in storage (Soil moisture,
Groundwater or water bodies)
The general formula of water balance is given by

I – O=ΔS

Where: I = inflow to the system

O = outflow from the system.
ΔS = Change in storage.
 To apply the water balance method we try to estimate
groundwater recharge by knowing the other hydro
-meteorological elements. such as
 Precipitation (P)
 Evaporation (E)
 Groundwater recharge (R)
 Surface Runoff (Q) , etc
 Quick estimate of groundwater recharge using water
balance method can be calculated by the following formula:
R= P – (E+ET+Q).
 The most difficult element to estimate is actual
evapotranspiration (AET).
E is evaporation, Q is direct runoff
• AET estimation using Turc Formula

 Where J = 300 + 25*T + 0.05 * T3

 T = annual average temperature (0C)
 P = the annual rate of precipitation in mm
 AET = Annual actual evapotranspiration.

 Estimating the actual evapo-transpiration will enable

us to quantify the major outflow.
 For a long term calculation on annual
bases and for a large catchment like Raya
valley and assuming the basin is closed the
water balance equation could be
simplified as follows:

Infiltration (Recharge) = ( Precipitation -

Actual Evapo-transpiration - Reservoir
evaporation - Surface water runoff
 2.1.2 Base Flow as Recharge (Assumptions)
 In a catchment where groundwater does not go out of
the basin, the base flow represents the groundwater
recharge of the basin upstream of the gauging point.

 There should not be loss of water below the river bed

at the measuring site.

 No diversion from or addition to water into the river

from anthropogenic sources to or from other basins.
 Hydrograph Separation
A hydrograph is a graph showing the rate of flow
(discharge) versus time past at a specific point in a river, or
other channel or conduit carrying flow.
The rate of flow is typically expressed in cubic meters or
cubic feet per second (cms or cfs).
Therefore, hydrographs display the change of a hydrologic
variable over time.
Thus, ahydrograph gives information of hydrological
processes in a catchment.
Component of Hydrograph
Major Component of River Discharge
1) Direct or storm or surface runoff
2) Base flow/groundwater/

Hydrograph with Two Component

In Borkena river it is estimated that out of the mean annual
flow of 9.7m3 /sec, 60% (5.8m3/s) is a contribution from the
base flow and 40% (3.9m3/s) is a contribution from overland
flow.

Base flow Separation of Borkena River using Time-plot

Hydrograph Separation Using Isotopes-The
Mixing Model.

 2-Component Mixing Model

“New”? Water
%
(Snowmelt)

Streamflow
?%
“Old” Water
(Groundwater)

Tracer = d18O (molecular evaluation)

• One Conservative Tracer.
• Mass Balance Equations for Water and Tracer.
Derivation of Two Component Mixing Equation

Say we want to know the contribution of Direct

runoff “Qn” and Base flow “Qo” to an observed
hydrograph.-
We know that the total flow, Qt, should be
equal to the sum of the flows of old (Qo) and
new (Qn) water:

Qt = Qo + Qn then we can, substitute

that Qn= Qt- Qo--------------------(1)

If the new and old waters have different concentrations of
a tracer, the product of total amount of tracer (Ct) and total

flow (Qt) is the sum of the new and old flows times their

respective concentrations of tracer (Cn,Co):

Ct=Co+Cn --------(2)
QtCt = QoCo + QnCn---------(3)
Qt=Qn+Qo
Qt-Qo=Qn

Qt-Qn=Qo
We can re-write the first expression to
solve for either one of the water
sources, Direct runoff or baseflow.
Here’s how we solve to get the new or
old water flow:
QtCt = QoCo + (Qt-Qo)Cn
QtCt = QoCo+QtCn-QoCn
QtCt-QtCn=QoCo-QoCn
Qt(Ct-Cn)/(Co-Cn)=Qo/
Chloride mass balance method for groundwater
recharge estimation
 The basic equation applicable for the estimation of
recharge using chloride mass balance method is:

 Rgw = Pyear (Clp / Clgw )

 Where Rgw is the annual recharge rate (mm), P year is the

average annual rainfall (mm) while Clp and Clgw are the

chloride concentrations of the rainfall and groundwater

(mg/l), respectively.
Groundwater recharge estimation using groundwater
level fluctuation
 The average amplitude of groundwater fluctuations
(Δh) mark the recharge space in an aquifer.
 Taking this amplitude and supposing that
groundwater fluxes do not change significantly with
water levels, allows to calculate groundwater
recharge, if the porosity (n) of that part of the aquifer
is known:
R = Δh*n, Where Δh is water level fluctuation
ID UTM UTM Elevatio Dept SWL 1st SWL SWL 3nd SWL 4th SWL Water Ground
E N n (m) h (m) measure 2nd measure measure 5th level water
ment measure ment ment measur fluctuat recharge
  ment ement ion (mm)
Well 48378 1059 2627 96 3/7/2013 23/08/126/09/13 9/11/20122/12/1
no.1 4 762 Date 3 33  
Depth 26.4 25.44 25.2 25.2 25 
elevatio 2601.8 2601.8 2602
n 2600.6 2601.56 1.4 28
Well 48594 1060 2615 96 6/7/2013 23/08/126/09/13 9/11/20122/12/1
no.2 1 899 Date 3 33  
Depth 20.53 18.89 18.64 18.76 18.91 
elevatio 2594.47 2596.0
n 2596.11 2596.36 2596.24 9 1.89 37.8
Well 48498 1061 2617 90 9/7/2013 22/08/126/09/13 9/11/20122/12/1
no.3 0 256 Date 3 33  
Depth 28.7 27.2 26.97 26.76 26.79 
elevatio 2590.03 2590.24 2590.2
n 2588.3 2589.8 1 1.94 38.8
Well 48364 1061 2641 99 12/7/201 22/08/126/09/13 9/11/20122/12/1
no.4 2 373 Date 3 3 33  
Depth 36.33 35.46 34.72 33.96 33.38 
elevatio 2607.6
n 2604.67 2605.54 2606.28 2607.04 2 2.95 59
Avera
ge                       40.9
 70 3000

60 2800

Water level flactuation(mm)

2600
50
2400
40
Recharge(mm)

2200
30 2000 Level Flacuation
1800 Recharge (mm)
20
1600
10 1400
0 1200
. 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 e
o o o o rag
ln ln ln lln e
el el el e Av
W W W W
 Groundwater recharge quantification for a particular
groundwater body should take into account a more detailed
investigation, measurement and modeling as shown in the
following table.
2.2 Geohydrological information
 Geohydrologicalinformation required in groundwater
management includes:
 Hydraulic conductivity
 Transmissivity
 Porosity
 Specific Storage
 Storativity
 Specific yield
 Aquifer Thickness
 Hydraulic gradient
 2.3 Piezometric Data
 Piezometer : a tube or a pipe in which the elevation
of water can be determined.

 It must be open to water flow at the bottom and to

the atmosphere on top.
 Piezometeric data Includes information related to
either water level or potentiometric surface.
 In areas where there is a high expectation of
groundwater dynamics a continuous
measurement of piezometric level is quite
important.
 Piezometric head: energy contained by
fluid because of its pressure, usually
expressed in units of length or elevation
relative to a datum.
 Piezometric level of confined groundwater is
usually under pressure because of the weight
of the overburden and the hydrostatic
head.
Piezometric networks for monitoring

 In most instances, it involves taking a

measurement of all sites where it is
possible, as well as nothing the position
and elevation of springs and those
reaches of rivers and streams which are
in contact with the aquifer.
 As a minimum it is important to take a
measurement at list twice in a year, end
of the rainy season and end of the dry
season where the level is expected to be
maximum and minimum respectively.
Timing and frequency of measurements
 The frequency of water level measurements in
wells and discharge from springs depends on the
nature of the aquifer and the purpose of study, the
broad guide lines being as follows for fractured
rocks:
Frequency of measurement
 Confined aquifers One per month
 Wells adjacent to river three per month
 Snow melt areas daily during flood times
 Irrigated area Related to time of irrigation
2.4 Groundwater Abstraction
 Groundwater can be abstracted by:
 Deep Wells

 Shallow Wells

 Hand dug wells

 Springs, etc
 For Household,Agricultural or Industrial purpose.
Groundwater Management Wayes:-
 Groundwater can be managed by either from the
demand side, that is by limiting the amount of
abstraction by reducing wastage, changing
agricultural practice, etc
 By managing the supply side that is enhancing the
resource by different form of artificial recharge,
watershed management, etc.
No One Is
Permanent
Rather Than
Change!!!
 Quiz (10%)
1.How do you manage ground water ?

2.List all the geohydrological information required for ground water

management?

3.Where do you abstract ground water?

4.What are the main information required for groundwater resource

management?

Write true if the statement is correct or write False if the statement

is incorrect.

5.Piezometric level of confined groundwater is usually under pressure.