HYDROLOGY JOURNAL REVIEW

Arranged By :
Nadia Sastrivia Eka Christy ( 181317149 )

INTERNATIONAL CIVIL ENGINEERING PROGRAM

UNIVERSITAS ATMA JAYA YOGYAKARTA
Journal’s Tittle : Groundwater Hydrology in 2050

Writer : George F. Pinder

Reviewer : Nadia Sastrivia Eka Christy

Date : Tuesday, October 2 2018

Groundwater Hydrology in 2050

George F. Pinder

Abstract

Hydrology is the science concerned with distribution, circulation, and properties of water of the earth and
its atmosphere, across the full range of time and space scales. Informed husbanding of groundwater
resources is critical to the survival of people in many parts of the world. Even where surface
water supplies exist and are used, groundwater provides the base flows in rivers and streams
which, in turn, are often critical for water supplies and the maintenance of aquatic ecosystems.

Introduction

This chapter reviews the current status of groundwater exploitation and use, groundwater
contamination, and factors that will influence how groundwater quantity and quality will be
modeled and managed as we move toward 2050. By 2050 groundwater will be recognized as
more valuable than it is today. The period between now and 2050 could be one in which
groundwater flow and transport models find vastly wider application in addressing issues related
to geothermal energy, carbon sequestration, and long-term storage of high-level radioactive
material from nuclear power plants and other sources.

Subject

Past Development and Current Perspective

1. Water Supply and Water Wells

Spring water is, in essence, groundwater that has made its way to the surface. As such, it
has a history of use that precedes that of recorded time. The technical advance allowing
 humans to exploit in situ groundwater was the invention of the well. The first drilled
wells in the United States were completed in 1806 and used to obtain brine. By the mid-
1820s drill rigs were used to obtain water in the United States. With the success of bored
wells came the ability to access water at considerable depths. No enormous conceptual
leaps in drilling technology have been realized in nearly a century.

2. Water Quality
( Naturally occurring compounds )
Two naturally occurring compounds that do impact human health and are therefore of
considerable importance are sodium chloride (common salt) and radioactive elements.
Saline water, especially that associated with salt-water intrusion in coastal aquifers and
irrigation return water, make over-exploited coastal aquifer waters unusable for some
domestic and industrial applications. Of the radioactive constituents of groundwater, the
element radium, which disintegrates into daughter isotopes of radon with the release of
radiation, is of considerable concern. The resulting collision of alpha particles with living
cell tissue is known to cause tissue damage that can lead to cancer. Both of these
concerns, salt-water intrusion and the evolution of radioactive compounds, have been
carefully examined and, while solutions to these problems can be expensive and in some
instances unattainable, from a scientific perspective, few open issues remain.

( Anthropogenic compounds )
Widespread use of agrochemicals, leaking sewers, septic tanks, pit latrines, and careless
use and disposal of industrial chemicals can give rise to groundwater contamination.
Agriculture is the primary source of elevated nitrate levels, although in some rare cases
certain geologic units can be the source of the nitrate. The use of nitrogen fertilizers is the
primary source of high nitrate levels in groundwater although wastes from livestock and
poultry farms can also be a source. Nitrates are known to be a public health concern,
especially for infants. Organic compounds, especially hydrocarbons, have contaminated
many groundwater supplies. Hydrocarbons of the greatest concern in groundwater
pollution come in two main flavors, petroleum hydrocarbons and chlorinated
hydrocarbons.
3. Simulation of Groundwater System Behavior

Advances in the simulation of groundwater system behavior can be subdivided into those
associated with groundwater flow and those associated with groundwater transport. The
former are used to determine the fluid potential and in some instances the velocity of
groundwater. The latter use the flow model results as input and then determine a
concentration or temperature distribution.

 Groundwater flow simulation

Simulation of groundwater flow determines the state of the groundwater system

given specified information about it. Simulation can be done using exact-solution
or numerical-solution mathematics, electrical analog models, or physical models.
Numerical methods were used to solve the flow equations. The numerical
approach could accommodate the flexibility found in the analog models, but in
addition the numerical models could be constructed much more quickly than the
time required to fabricate the resistor capacitor network. Moreover, they could be
quickly changed so calibration was faster and easier.

 Groundwater transport simulation

The solution of the equations that describe transport in a groundwater system does
not have the long history of those associated with flow. Today numerical methods
can handle complicated transport problems and geometries. Multiple species
transport models, fractured media transport models, bacterial transport models
and coupled multiphase flow and species transport models are available.
 Model applications

The predictive capability of groundwater flow and transport models can be

integrated into other algorithms identified with parameter estimation (sometimes
referred to as inverse modeling), risk analysis, optimal remediation design, plume
search, contaminant source identification and long-term monitoring. The use of
models in this setting is currently an active research area.
4. The Physical System
More flexible simulation tools allowed more complex systems to be considered. In
addition, changing water resource and other priorities also played a significant role. Until
the early to mid-1960s groundwater professionals focused on the quantity of water
available to supply municipal, industrial and agricultural needs. Some attention was paid
to water quality issues, especially degradation of quality due to salt-water intrusion and
groundwater contamination by toxic metals. Today groundwater transport modeling is a
relatively commonly used geohydrological tool in groundwater contamination
investigation, analysis and remediation (plume containment and aquifer rehabilitation). It
is more challenging to model transport than flow in part because additional physical
parameters, such as dispersivity, are needed.

Projections To The Year 2050

1. Water Supply and Water Wells

As noted, drilling technology is a mature field and in 2050 it is probable that waterwell
drilling will be largely as it is today. Completion of wells (i.e., installation of well casing,
screens, and multiple port sensors) may change, but not fundamentally. It is probable that by
2050 groundwater will be recognized as more valuable than it is today. It is unclear if this
increased value will be reflected through increased costs to consumers or through government
subsidy, but it will become more evident that 1) water in general, and groundwater in
particular, cannot be replaced by an alternative resource, as can energy supplies; 2) the supply
of groundwater is not easily augmented through engineering structures (although some
strategies such as recharge basins and water reuse may be helpful); and 3) once contaminated,
groundwater is very difficult to return to drinking water quality.

2. Water Quality

Enhanced understanding of the source of, movement of, and strategies for protecting
groundwater from naturally occurring contaminants, such as salinity, chromium and radon
has already resulted in actions taken to reduce their impact. To decrease groundwater
contamination by point sources, it is probable that there will be a continuing trend towards
resource protection. Industry, responsible for many point source contamination occurrences,
 is likely to put more financial resources into groundwater protection not only to protect the
resource but also to minimize company liability.

3. Simulation of Groundwater System Behavior

 Groundwater flow simulation

I stated earlier that groundwater flow simulation is a mature field. By mature I

imply that modeling techniques and software designed for relatively straight-
forward saturated flow in porous media are available and are being used by
groundwater professionals. Although progress has been made in the development
and distribution of groundwater modeling GUIs, they are still relatively primitive.
By 2050 there should be robust, user-friendly GUIs available for groundwater
models, perhaps coupled to a more flexible set of groundwater flow codes.

 Groundwater transport modeling

Groundwater transport models are less accessible than flow models to practicing
groundwater professionals because they are more difficult to use and are less
robust. Consequently, users of such models should have numerical methods as
well as groundwater flow and transport training to achieve consistent success.

 Modeling applications
The period between now and 2050 could be one in which groundwater flow and
transport models find vastly wider application than we see today. The foundation
for this opinion lies in the growth in the use of models in higher-level
applications. Groundwater flow and transport models in combination with
optimization algorithms provide a very important technology. The estimation of
groundwater parameters, such as permeability, uses an optimization formulation
that minimizes the error between simulated and measured values of piezometric
head.

The Physical System

The increase in demand for water will result in a redistribution of the resource
between competing interests. As noted earlier, it is probable that agricultural use
will be reduced, especially in arid regions, and much of the water resources now
used for agriculture will be redirected to municipal and industrial needs. In
addition more effort will be focused on using water more efficiently and
effectively. The history of groundwater hydrology has been one in which the
unexpected becomes the rule. Organic contamination, geothermal power
production, radioactive waste disposal and carbon dioxide sequestration are all
unanticipated additions to the family of groundwater problems. It is very probable
that there will, by 2050, be new unanticipated problems. The assessment of risk
due to groundwater related activities, whether to public health or to the
environment, will play an increasingly important role by 2050. The benefits of
reduced risk versus the costs of risk reduction will become more apparent as
methodology to quantify such risk becomes available.
Agree or Disagree
I’m agree with this journal because I believed that the quality of groundwater was
good (specifically, good or excellent, good and improving, or good but
deteriorating). But we also have to maintain the cleanliness of the environment
around groundwater.
Opinion

Groundwater is water found beneath the land surface, between soil particles, and
in the fractures of bed rocks. Because the ground water sources are safe and
potable for drinking and other useful purposes of human being. Water quality is
dependent on the type of the pollutant added and the nature of mineral found at
particular zone of bore well. Monitoring of the water quality of ground water is
done by collecting representative water samples and analysis of physicochemical
characteristics of water samples at different locations.

Summary
To forecast the state of knowledge of, and nature of applications in, groundwater
hydrology in 2050 requires an assessment of current conditions. The breadth of
the topic takes one from the practical application of drilling technology to the
more abstract use of modeling and optimization. Some methodologies are mature
while others are emerging. New problems drive the development of new enabling
technologies and new enabling technologies in turn allow for the solution of new
and existing problems. History shows that groundwater hydrology is not a static
discipline but rather is continually evolving as unanticipated problems arise.

References
Kohout, F.A. (1960). “Cyclic flow of salt water in the Biscayne Aquifer of
Southeastern Florida.” J. Geophys. Res., 65, 2133-2141. MacCurdy, M. (2009).
Remson, I., Appel, C. A., and Webster, R. A. (1965). “Ground-water models
solved by digital computer.” J. Hydr. Div.-ASCE, 91 (HY3), 133-147.