USE OF ENVIRONMENTAL ISOTOPE TRACER AND GIS TECHNIQUES TO ESTIMATE BASIN RECHARGE

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USE OF ENVIRONMENTAL ISOTOPE TRACER AND GIS TECHNIQUES TO ESTIMATE BASIN RECHARGE

http://gradworks.umi.com/35/52/3552269.html

http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2012PhDT........83O

Abstract

The extensive use of ground water only began with the advances in pumping technology at the early portion of 20th Century. Groundwater provides the majority of fresh water supply for municipal, agricultural and industrial uses, primarily because of little to no treatment it requires.
This present research proposes to estimate the recharge in Mimbres, Tularosa and Diablo Basin using the chloride environmental isotope; chloride mass balance
approach and GIS. It also proposes to determine the effect of elevation on recharge rate.
Mimbres and Tularosa Basin are located in southern New Mexico State, and extend southward into Mexico. Diablo Basin is located in Texas in extends southward. This research utilizes the chloride mass balance approach to estimate the recharge rate through collection of groundwater data from wells, and precipitation. The data were analysed statistically to eliminate duplication, outliers, and incomplete data. Cluster analysis, piper diagram and statistical significance were
performed on the parameters of the groundwater; the infiltration rate was determined using chloride mass balance technique. The data was then analysed spatially using ArcGIS10.
Regions of active recharge were identified in Mimbres and Diablo Basin, but this could not be clearly identified in Tularosa Basin. CMB recharge for Tularosa Basin yields 0.04037mm/yr, Diablo Basin was 0.047mm/yr, and 0.2153mm/yr for Mimbres Basin. The elevation where active recharge occurs was determined to be 1,500m for Mimbres and Tularosa Basin and 1,200m for Diablo Basin. The results obtained in this study were consistent with result obtained by other researchers working in basins with similar semiarid mountainous conditions, thereby validating the applicability of CMB in the three basins.
Keywords: Recharge, chloride mass balance, elevation, Mimbres, Tularosa, Diablo, Basin, GIS, chloride, elevation.

 

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