Regional scale flow and transport modelling for the management of groundwater and surface water bodies in the framework of the EU Water Directive

Conference (2011, May 04)

The Water Framework Directive requires from EU member states to manage water resources at the scale of surface water and groundwater bodies in a sustainable way, without altering the different functions ... [more ▼]

The Water Framework Directive requires from EU member states to manage water resources at the scale of surface water and groundwater bodies in a sustainable way, without altering the different functions provided by the system in natural conditions. Efficient management also requires qualitative tools to assess the evolution of water quality regarding the activities performed in the area of interest. In this context, the objective is to discuss the needs in terms of groundwater flow and transport modelling as a support to the Water Framework Directive and to present a methodological and numerical approach that fits with these requirements. Different variably-saturated models have been implemented for selected case studies ranging between 500 and 1700 km² in the Walloon Region of Belgium. The implementation of such models is challenging because of the scale and the processes that have to be simulated. However, when calibrated and used adequately, they are able to deliver most information required, such as the estimation and evolution with time of groundwater reserves, the calculation of different indicators on groundwater replenishment and exploitation, the base flow to rivers and surface water bodies, under different stress conditions such as pumping, rainfall and climate change. They are also used for the evaluation of regional groundwater quality status and for contaminant trend assessment (e.g. nitrate) under different alternative management scenarios and mitigation measures that could be implemented in the future. This study illustrates perfectly the efficiency and usefulness of regional scale groundwater flow and transport modelling as a tool for the management of groundwater bodies. [less ▲]

A regional flux-based risk assessment approach of contaminated sites on groundwater bodies

in Schirmer, Mario; Hoehn, Eduard; Vogt, Tobias (Eds.) Groundwater Quality 2010 : Groundwater Quality Management in a Rapidly Changing World (2011)

In the context of the Water Framework Directive, management plans have to be set up about water quality issues in surface and ground water bodies in the EU. In heavily industrialised and urbanised areas ... [more ▼]

In the context of the Water Framework Directive, management plans have to be set up about water quality issues in surface and ground water bodies in the EU. In heavily industrialised and urbanised areas, the cumulative effect of multiple contaminant sources is likely to present a risk which has to be evaluated. In order to propose adequate measures, the calculated risk should be based on criteria reflecting the risk of water quality deterioration, in a cumulative way and at the scale of the whole surface water or groundwater body. An integrated GIS- and flux-based risk assessment approach for groundwater and surface water bodies is described with a regional scale indicator for the evaluation of the quality status of the groundwater body. It is based on the SEQ-ESO currently used in the Walloon Region of Belgium which defines, for different water uses and for a detailed list of groundwater contaminants, a set of threshold values reflecting the levels of water quality and degradation with respect to each contaminant. The methodology is illustrated with a first real scale application on a groundwater body corresponding to a contaminated alluvial aquifer which has been classified at risk of not reaching a good quality status by 2015. [less ▲]

Modelling groundwater pumping and coupled heat transport in a alluvial aquifer: tests using different codes an optimisation

in Carrera, Jesus (Ed.) XVIII International Conference on Computational Methods in Water Resources, CMWR 2010 (2010, June 24)

Various aquifers are studied in terms of low temperature geothermal potential. The feasibility and impact studies of these systems imply very often a numerical simulation of groundwater flow and heat ... [more ▼]

Various aquifers are studied in terms of low temperature geothermal potential. The feasibility and impact studies of these systems imply very often a numerical simulation of groundwater flow and heat transport. Nowadays, some finite element or finite difference codes are able to deal with such non linear simulations. On a synthetic case study and then on a real case study, a detailed comparative sensitivity analysis is performed using three different codes (MT3DMS, SHEMAT and HYDROGEOSHERE). For low temperatures and relatively small temperature changes, it appears rapidly that the uncertainty affecting values of the main hydrodynamic parameters (i.e. hydraulic conductivity) influences more the results than taking into account any coupling or non linearity. For a case study, the pumping and associated groundwater flow and heat transport are modeled in an alluvial aquifer interacting with a main river in order to assess feasibility of a low energy air cooling /heating system for a large office building. The worst case scenario corresponds to hot summer conditions simultaneously with river maximum temperature and the model leads to an optimization with intermittent pumping in minimum 6 wells. Numerical codes are ready to simulate complex groundwater flow, solute transport and heat transport situations in aquifers, however efforts must be realized to obtain reliable experimental in-situ measured values for the hydro-thermal properties. [less ▲]

A regional flux-based risk assessment approach of contaminated sites on groundwater bodies

Poster (2010, April 22)

In the context of the water framework directive, management plans have to be set up about water quality in surface and groundwater bodies in the EU. One of the first steps is to evaluate the risk of ... [more ▼]

In the context of the water framework directive, management plans have to be set up about water quality in surface and groundwater bodies in the EU. One of the first steps is to evaluate the risk of contamination of these water resources, and particularly the risk posed by contaminated industrial sites. From the perspective of water resource management, each of these sites taken individually does not necessary constitute a major threat. However, in heavily industrialised and urbanised areas, the cumulative effect of multiple contaminant sources is likely to present a risk. In order to propose adequate but still economically reliable measures, the calculated risk should be based on a so-called megasite approaches using criteria reflecting the water quality deterioration, in a cumulative way, at the scale of the whole surface water or groundwater body. A GIS-based regional risk assessment approach is developed here for groundwater bodies using the SEQ-ESO currently used within the Walloon Region as indicator to reflect the quality status of the groundwater body. The approach is applied on the groundwater body RWM073 “Gravels and alluvial deposits of the Meuse river between Engis and Herstal”, identified at risk of not reaching a good quality status by 2015. The different steps of this methodology consist of an inventory of proved or potential contaminating industrial sites, a numerical modelling of pollutants behaviour at the scale of the groundwater body and the application of the SEQ-ESO that finally gives a global quality status of the whole groundwater body. This analysis also serves as basis for a socio-economic approach intending to provide indications on costs and benefits generated by total or partial remediation of the contaminated groundwater bodies according to the different management scenarios. [less ▲]

Regional transport modelling for nitrate trend assessment and forecasting in a chalk aquifer

in Journal of Contaminant Hydrology (2010), 118

Regional degradation of groundwater resources by nitrate has become one of the main challenges for water managers worldwide. Regulations have been defined to reverse observed nitrate trends in groundwater ... [more ▼]

Regional degradation of groundwater resources by nitrate has become one of the main challenges for water managers worldwide. Regulations have been defined to reverse observed nitrate trends in groundwater bodies, such as the Water Framework Directive and the Groundwater Daughter Directive in the European Union. In such a context, one of the main challenges remains to develop efficient approaches for groundwater quality assessment at regional scale, including quantitative numerical modelling, as a decision support for groundwater management. A new approach combining the use of environmental tracers and the innovative ‘Hybrid Finite Element Mixing Cell’ (HFEMC) modelling technique is developed to study and forecast the groundwater quality at the regional scale, with an application to a regional chalk aquifer in the Geer basin in Belgium. Tritium data and nitrate time series are used to produce a conceptual model for regional groundwater flow and contaminant transport in the combined unsaturated and saturated zones of the chalk aquifer. This shows that the spatial distribution of the contamination in the Geer basin is essentially linked to the hydrodynamic conditions prevailing in the basin, more precisely to groundwater age and mixing and not to the spatial patterns of land use or local hydrodispersive processes. A three-dimensional regional scale groundwater flow and solute transport model is developed. It is able to reproduce the spatial patterns of tritium and nitrate and the observed nitrate trends in the chalk aquifer and it is used to predict the evolution of nitrate concentrations in the basin. The modelling application shows that the global inertia of groundwater quality is strong in the basin and trend reversal is not expected to occur before the 2015 deadline fixed by the European Water Framework Directive. The expected time required for trend reversal ranges between 5 and more than 50 years, depending on the location in the basin and the expected reduction in nitrate application. To reach a good chemical status, nitrate concentrations in the infiltrating water should be reduced as soon as possible below 50mg/l; however, even in that case, more than 50 years is needed to fully reverse upward trends. [less ▲]

Application of the Hybrid Finite Element Mixing Cell method to an abandoned coalfield in Belgium

in Journal of Hydrology (2010), 392(3-4), 188-200

The Hybrid Finite Element Mixing Cell (HFEMC) method is a flexible modelling technique particularly suited to mining problems. The principle of this method is to subdivide the modelled zone into several ... [more ▼]

The Hybrid Finite Element Mixing Cell (HFEMC) method is a flexible modelling technique particularly suited to mining problems. The principle of this method is to subdivide the modelled zone into several subdomains and to select a specific equation, ranging from the simple linear reservoir equation to the groundwater flow in porous media equation, to model groundwater flow in each subdomain. The model can be run in transient conditions, which makes it a useful tool for managing mine closure post-issues such as groundwater rebound and water inrushes. The application of the HFEMC method to an abandoned underground coal mine near the city of Liege (Belgium) is presented. The case study zone has been discretized taking advantage of the flexibility of the method. Then, the model has been calibrated in transient conditions based on both hydraulic head and water discharge rate observation and an uncertainty analysis has been performed. Finally, the calibrated model has been used to run several scenarios in order to assess the impacts of possible future phenomena on the hydraulic heads and the water discharge rates. Among others, the simulation of an intense rainfall event shows a quick and strong increase in hydraulic heads in some zones coupled with an increase in associated water discharge rates. This could lead to stability problems in local hill slopes. These predictions will help managing and predicting mine water problems in this complex mining system. [less ▲]

Etude et modélisation des impacts hydrologiques de pluies exceptionnelles dans un environnement valloné et boisé

Scientific conference (2009, September)

Le jeudi 29 mai 2008 a eu lieu en région liégeoise un événement pluvieux extrême qui a eu des conséquences (humaines et financières) douloureuses. Pour rappel, une pluie de courte durée, mais très intense ... [more ▼]

Le jeudi 29 mai 2008 a eu lieu en région liégeoise un événement pluvieux extrême qui a eu des conséquences (humaines et financières) douloureuses. Pour rappel, une pluie de courte durée, mais très intense (lame d’eau d’environ 90 litres par mètre carré en moins de 2 heures) sur le domaine du Sart Tilman a provoqué des inondations très soudaines (communément appelées « flash-floods ») aux abords des ruisseaux descendant du Sart Tilman vers la Meuse et l’Ourthe. Des évènements du même type ont eu lieu dans les semaines suivantes en région liégeoise (Remicourt, …). La méthodologie développée lors cette étude devait donc être transférable à d’autres applications. Le choix du Sart Tilman comme cas d’étude s’imposait cependant vu la bonne connaissance préliminaire du site par les équipes de l’ULg et la concentration des phénomènes extrêmes. Un tel évènement interpelle et amène à chercher à comprendre le phénomène, à le reproduire de façon théorique et à l’anticiper. Ainsi, à l’initiative de la Ministre de la recherche scientifique de la Communauté Française (Marie-Dominique Simonet), l’Aquapôle a fédéré un travail multidisciplinaire visant à décrire les mécanismes de ces événements extrêmes et à reproduire les impacts hydrologiques de ces pluies exceptionnelles à l’échelle locale, dans un environnement boisé et vallonné. Un des objectifs principaux de ce travail était d’obtenir une méthodologie incluant un modèle intégré permettant d’abord de représenter l’évènement, puis par la simulation de scénarios de tester l’effet spécifique de certains facteurs. En effet, outre la complexité de la dynamique météorologique qui les a générés (ces événements exceptionnels ont présenté des caractéristiques homogènes mais à une échelle très locale), les conséquences de l’évènement ont été le fruit de la combinaison complexe d’une série de facteurs environnementaux et humains : nature des sols, topographie locale, couverture végétale, ouvrages anthropiques et urbanisation, etc. De plus, pour effectuer une modélisation hydrologique physiquement basée et spatialement distribuée, il est nécessaire de disposer de nombreuses informations issues de sources différentes. L’approche pluridisciplinaire exigée pour la rencontre de ces phénomènes a pu être rapidement appréhendée à l’Aquapôle de l’Université de Liège. En particulier, l’existence de modèles compartimentaux intégrés a permis de tenir compte de la dynamique des bassins versants, de la nature hydrogéologique des sols et de la complexité des écoulements de surface et/ou sur l’axe hydraulique. Cette approche de modélisation opérationnelle et pragmatique a tout d’abord nécessité la collecte et la préparation d’un grand nombre de données (dans les environnements cartographiques appropriés) afin d’alimenter les modèles et de créer des bases de données. Ce volet a impliqué un noyau d’équipes composées de topo-climatologues, de topographes, d’hydrauliciens, d’hydrogéologues et d’intégrateurs numériques de façon à prendre en considération l’ensemble des processus et paramètres pertinents à l’atteinte de l’objectif visé. Sur base de la description des processus et de leurs dynamiques spatiale et temporelle ayant abouti à ces catastrophes, l’Aquapôle a pu reproduire et mettre en évidence les événements grâce à des outils de simulations numériques s’appuyant sur une description fine de la météorologie et de la topographie locale, des ouvrages d’art existants et des spécificités locales de toute nature (anthropiques et naturelles). Le dernier volet de cette étude a été dédié à l’élaboration intégrée de scénarios de simulation pour l’utilisation du modèle WOLF HYDRO : un modèle hydrologique spatialement et temporellement distribué qui est principalement développé pour représenter les transferts quasi horizontaux prépondérants en périodes de crues. Son approche physiquement basée lui permet d’utiliser au mieux les différentes informations disponibles. Il a été utilisé dans cette étude, en s’appuyant sur les informations générées par les autres équipes. Pour les trois bassins versants étudiés, de caractéristiques sensiblement différentes, la méthodologie employée permet d’aboutir à des hydrogrammes réalistes pour l’épisode du 29 mai 2008. Des scénarios multiples ont également permis de vérifier la sensibilité du modèle, de tester l’influence d’aménagements potentiels sur le bassin versant (changements d’occupation des sols, création de bassins d’orage, …) et de fournir des résultats pour des pluies de récurrences fixées d’une durée proche de l’événement principal. Les observations réalisées lors de l’événement et les résultats de la modélisation permettent de conclure au fait que l’événement de mai 2008 est véritablement extrême et qu’aucun équipement raisonnable n’aurait pu aboutir à un affaiblissement significatif des débits observés aux exutoires des ruisseaux. Les pics de crues sont en effet parfois proches du double de ceux observés pour une crue bi-centennale. Ainsi, lors d’un tel événement, seul un aménagement prudent de l’habitat aux abords des ruisseaux peut amener à une réduction des dommages matériels. En effet, la délivrance de permis d’urbanisme sur le cours d’eau ou à son voisinage immédiat aggrave les conséquences de ces phénomènes exceptionnels. Enfin, conformément à la notification du Gouvernement Wallon (séance du 3 juin 2009), les résultats de la recherche FL², confiée par la Communauté Française à l’ULg, seront intégrés dans les travaux du GTI (Groupe Transversal Inondations). Ces résultats ont fait l’objet d’une présentation collégiale au GTI le 5 octobre 2009 et d’une présentation à destination des communes et d’un public large et ouvert le 19 novembre 2009. [less ▲]

How can large scale integrated surface - subsurface hydrological model be used to evaluate long term climate change impact on groundwater reserves

in Proceeding of the 7th international conference on calibration and reliability in groundwater modeling (2009, September)

Usine Knauff Insulation à Visé – Etude d’incidences sur l'environnement - partim Eaux Souterraines

Report (2009)

Large scale integrated surface – subsurface hydrological model to assess climate change impacts on groundwater resources

Conference (2009, April 22)