A Groundwater Flow Modeling Application for the Impact Assessment of Treated Wastewater Reuse by Managed Aquifer Recharge
- 1Dokuz Eylul University, The Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Environmental Engineering, Izmir, Türkiye (cgdmrylmz@gmail.com)
- 2Dokuz Eylul University, Department of Environmental Engineering, Izmir, Türkiye (alper.elci@deu.edu.tr)
- 3Dokuz Eylul University, Department of Geological Engineering, Izmir, Türkiye (melis.somay@deu.edu.tr)
The tendency towards more groundwater use is becoming increasingly prevalent in regions where surface water supplies are limited in quantity and quality. However, the over-abstraction of groundwater can lead to serious issues. Therefore, to maintain the supply-demand balance for groundwater, withdrawals from aquifers should not exceed groundwater recharge. In cases where they do, groundwater reserves should be replenished with external water. Returning treated wastewater to the aquifer via managed aquifer recharge structures is a proven strategy that can effectively increase groundwater recharge rates. The objective of this study is to use groundwater flow modeling to assess the impacts of recharging treated wastewater to the aquifer at the sub-basin scale. The study is realized within the scope of the European Union-supported research project TRUST, which is conducted by six Mediterranean countries to mitigate water scarcity under the influence of climate change.
A MODFLOW-based groundwater flow model is constructed for the Fetrek Creek sub-basin, which is located in an environmentally stressed semi-urban area in Western Turkiye. The input data for the model consists of information obtained from reviewing and synthesizing borehole logs, groundwater recharge rates from an independent hydrological modeling study, groundwater level time series from 17 monitoring wells, and information from previous geological and hydrogeological studies. The PEST parameter optimization method is used to calibrate the model. First, a baseline scenario representing the current state is investigated using the calibrated flow model. The model is then used to determine the impacts of various managed aquifer recharge application scenarios, thereby reflecting wastewater reuse in the sub-basin.
Acknowledgment:
This study is funded by the PRIMA program supported by the European Union under grant agreement No: 2024, project TRUST (management of industrial Treated wastewater ReUse as mitigation measures to water Scarcity in climaTe change context in two Mediterranean regions).
How to cite: Eryilmaz Saylan, C., Elci, A., and Somay Altas, M.: A Groundwater Flow Modeling Application for the Impact Assessment of Treated Wastewater Reuse by Managed Aquifer Recharge, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 24–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-13121, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-13121, 2023.
