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Groundwater modeling with GIS methods for the Mullica River Basin, New Jersey
Wu, Yong
Wu, Yong
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Thesis/Dissertation
Date
2006
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Earth and Environmental Science
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Wu-Thesis-2002.pdf
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https://doi.org/10.34944/gec9-s515
Abstract
I constructed a 3-D numerical model for the Mullica River basin, New Jersey. The Geographic Information System (GIS) method was applied in groundwater modeling to process land features into model format. Model parameters were input into Groundwater Modeling System (GMS) by using GIS features such as land use for recharge zones, and stream locations for groundwater discharge boundaries. I selected MODFLOW 96 as the modeling code.
The Mullica River basin is a watershed with high vulnerability to stresses, which scored the highest level of 6 on the Index of Watershed Indicators (IWI) by EPA. The Mullica River basin is threatened by aerial and point sources of contamination. Simulation results of the groundwater model were used in Watershed Modeling System (WMS) to simulate the differences between the surface and groundwater basins, which are the boundaries of the contaminant migration.
The groundwater model was calibrated to 140 observed water level and 3 continuous gaging stations. The calibrated model had 4.99 ft root mean square residual, with matched flow field. To evaluate the sensitivities of the model to the key parameters, 70 sensitivity model simulations were performed. The key parameters included hydraulic conductivities, aerial recharge, and the conductance of the riverbed. The model was sensitive to hydraulic conductivities and recharge values, but not sensitive to the river bed conductance.
GIS procedures described in this study were helpful in incorporating accurate boundaries and zoning recharge based on weather, land use, and soil type. Integrating Arcview and GMS together was convenient in inputting data and post-processing model results. However there are some disadvantages in application of GIS in groundwater modeling such as lack of hydrological data on river elevations in the GIS database and inappropriate data arrangement for stream groups. The model could not be calibrated to a specific stream order, but a combination of second and third order streams were used.
Watershed simulations demonstrated differences in groundwater basins and surface water basins. The surface water flow basins were slightly smaller than groundwater basins. Particle tracking showed that flow paths on the surface diverged from groundwater paths at a few locations. Development in the Pine Barrens should consider the environmental impact based on surface water boundaries as well as on groundwater boundaries.
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