Methodology to evaluate the renewal period of carbonate aquifers: a key tool for their management in arid and semiarid regions, with the example of Becerrero aquifer, Spain

• Published in: Hydrogeology journal Vol. 22; no. 3; pp. 679 - 689
• Main Authors: Martos-Rosillo, Sergio, Marín-Lechado, Carlos, Pedrera, Antonio, Vadillo, Iñaki, Motyka, Jacek, Molina, José Luis, Ortiz, Pilar, Ramírez, José María Martín
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.05.2014; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Aquatic Pollution; Aquifers; Arid regions; Boreholes; Carbonates; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Geology; Geophysics/Geodesy; Groundwater; Hydrogeology; Hydrology/Water Resources; Management; Methodology; Rock; Simulation; Three dimensional models; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control; Water Quality/Water Pollution; Water resources management; ANE, Spain; Spain; Groundwater management; Carbonate rocks; 3D geological modeling; Storage capacity; Spain
• ISSN: 1431-2174; 1435-0157
• DOI: 10.1007/s10040-013-1086-9

A methodological procedure is proposed for determining the renewal period (RP), which expresses the ratio of total storage to recharge of carbonate aquifers, and it was applied to the overexploited moderate-size Becerrero carbonate aquifer (southern Spain). To this end, geological and subsurface data—time domain electromagnetic (TEM) soundings and borehole logs—were integrated to construct a three-dimensional (3D) geological model of the aquifer. The interconnected porosity was estimated by analyzing 73 rock samples. The resulting 3D geometrical model makes it possible to quantify the fractions of the aquifer having a confined or unconfined behaviour. Based on the total storage capacity (179 · 10 6 –514 · 10 6  m 3 ) and available aquifer recharge estimation (4.8 · 10 6 –6.4 · 10 6  m 3 /year), an RP between 37 and 106 years is obtained. In view of the RP, an exploitation rate slightly lower than the average recharge of the system is recommended, so that the piezometric level will be stable but below the discharge head that is produced through the springs in natural conditions. The proposed methodology to obtain an aquifer RP and the management strategies designed accordingly are of broad interest, especially for carbonate aquifers, which are abundant in arid and semiarid regions.