Méthodologie d’évaluation de la durée de renouvellement d’aquifères carbonatés : un outil clef pour leur gestion dans les régions arides et semi-arides, avec l’exemple de l’aquifère de Becerrero, Espagne Metodología para evaluar el período de renovación de los acuíferos carbonáticos: una herramienta clave para su manejo en regiones áridas y semiáridas, con el ejemplo del acuífero de Becerrero, España 评估碳 盐含水层更新期的方法:干旱半干旱地区碳 盐含水层管理的 键工 ,以西班牙Becerrero含水层为例 Metodologia para avaliação do período de

• 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: Springer-Verlag 2014
• Subjects: aquifers; porosity; semiarid zones; springs (water); Spain
• ISSN: 1431-2174; 1435-0157

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 · 10⁶–514 · 10⁶ m³) and available aquifer recharge estimation (4.8 · 10⁶–6.4 · 10⁶ m³/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.