Estimation of natural groundwater recharge in the Aguascalientes semiarid valley, Mexico

Groundwater recharge (GWR) is analyzed and evaluated within the Aguascalientes Valley by means of a modified linearized Boussinesq equation and the Water Table Fluctuations (WTF) technique. These techniques use the specific yield, water table variations and the subsurface drainage of groundwater. Th...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Lilia Guerrero-Martínez, Martín Hernández-Marín, Thomas J. Burbey
Format: article
Status:Published version
Publication Date:2018
Country:México
Institution:Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes
Repository:Redalyc-UAA
OAI Identifier:oai:redalyc.org:57265237006
Online Access:https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=57265237006
https://www.redalyc.org/journal/572/57265237006/
https://www.redalyc.org/journal/572/57265237006/html/
https://www.redalyc.org/journal/572/57265237006/57265237006.epub
https://www.redalyc.org/journal/572/57265237006/movil
https://doi.org/10.22201/cgeo.20072902e.2018.3.1022
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Ciencias de la Tierra
Boussinesq equation
Groundwater recharge
groundwater drainage
Aguascalientes valley
Water Table Fluctuation
Description
Summary:Groundwater recharge (GWR) is analyzed and evaluated within the Aguascalientes Valley by means of a modified linearized Boussinesq equation and the Water Table Fluctuations (WTF) technique. These techniques use the specific yield, water table variations and the subsurface drainage of groundwater. The methodology is applied to the semiarid Aguascalientes valley, which contains a thick vadose zone. The combination of the analytical solution based on the Boussinesq equation and the WTF technique, allows the method to be applied in areas with deep groundwater levels, such as the Aguascalientes valley, without the need for high temporal resolution data. The data for the application of the method were provided by various government agencies and includes information on 145 wells positioned within the valley during the period 1985-2015. The specific yield and the transmissivity were integrated from the results of two previous investigations. Results indicate that the variation of recharge ranges from 0.86 to 525.69 mm/year in the analyzed period, with the highest recharge rates occurring in the north and center parts of the valley and is likely attributed to high specific yield and vertical hydraulic conductivity due to the presence of coarse permeable soils present in the area. Conversely, the lowest recharge rates were found to occur near the north and south borders of the valley.