Using Existing Regional Groundwater Models for Local Problems

All over the country as cities, industrial water users and farmers are attempting to deal with water shortages and water supply conflicts, groundwater professionals are helping to evaluate the potential for additional aquifer use. If surface water supplies are unreliable and aquifers are available, it is likely that others have collected data and developed a consistent interpretation of the hydrologic system. If work has been done in the area there is an opportunity for knowledge of the system to evolve and improve. Good scientific practice suggests that wherever possible, new work should always build upon previous studies.

In the United States, groundwater investigations often begin with a review of the literature and with any luck the area has been studied and reports are available.  In some areas the previous work includes modeling work that was done in the last one or two decades. However, most modelers would rather read the old reports and review the data as a starting point when they develop their own “fresh” model with their own tools. It is often simpler (or more tractable) to redo the work than attempt to debug and run a 10-year old groundwater flow model. However, rebuilding from scratch is time consuming and mistakes are hard to avoid.

This presentation will describe our work in various parts of the country where we have taken the time to revise previously developed and well-documented USGS groundwater flow models. We have reawakened and refined these regional models to gauge local impacts of new wells and to consider long term water availability.