Applied Telescopic Mesh Refinement in Groundwater Modeling

Application of Telescopic Mesh Refinement (TMR) models is a common practice in groundwater engineering when one wishes to simulate in detail subareas of previously developed regional models.  The TMR process involves creating a smaller, more refined model for a subregion of the larger flow model. The TMR model is a separate model that uses the transient cell-by-cell results of the larger model to define the boundary conditions of the TMR model. In a transient model, the boundary cells of the TMR model typically are set as time varying head. 
Whenever an existing regional scale model already exists,TMR modeling can be applied to address any number of issues that require evaluating conditions at a localized level.  Adopting a TMR approach can help save clients’ money and affords the additional benefit of cultivating model acceptance / buy-in by potential critics (including by developers of the original regional model).  We have successfully applied TMR models to help solve a variety of client problems, including:

• To evaluate proposed modifications to the airfield drainage system on the Ramstein Air Force Base, Germany; and support design of an alternative drainage network;
  
• To assess the potential effects of installing sheetpile scour walls along San Juan Creek on municipal wells in San Juan Capistrano, California (for the Orange County Flood Control District); and
  
• To develop an estimated historical and future time series of volumes and flow rates of groundwater contaminated by site operations at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, Colorado as part of a Natural Resource Damage Assessment (for the Colorado Office of the Attorney General).