Abstract

Gain refined understanding of the processes used to evaluate groundwater/surface water interactions, an increasingly timely topic, during this two-day NGWA short course. Groundwater and surface water are an interconnected water resource. In particular, groundwater and surface water interactions are complex, being controlled by numerous variables that may change spatially and temporally. As interest in groundwater and surface water interactions is increasing in response to limited water resources, sediment combination, and climate change, refined understanding of the processes at the groundwater/surface water interface is critical. The objectives of this short course are to present scientific methods and regulatory conditions associated with the groundwater/surface water interface. This interface is dynamic in nature, reflecting both groundwater discharge and recharge conditions. Methods to measure and mathematically describe the conditions and processes at the interface will be presented. The course will entail two days of study. The first day will present and implement field methods. The field work will apply piezometers, permeameters, and seepage meters to measure the flux in the groundwater/surface water interface. Other field methods will be discussed and implemented to characterize the water quality conditions at the interface. Data from the first day will be utilized in the second day, which will focus on application of mathematical methods to quantitatively characterize the groundwater/surface water interface. The initial section of the session will include a description of commonly used analytical and numerical approaches to assess groundwater flux and hydraulic movement between surface water and groundwater. The second portion of the session will discuss methods to evaluate the attenuation capacity in the zone of surface water/groundwater interaction.