Estimating recharge distribution by incorporating runoff from mountainous areas in an alluvial basin in the great basin region of the southwestern United States
Db. Stone et al., Estimating recharge distribution by incorporating runoff from mountainous areas in an alluvial basin in the great basin region of the southwestern United States, GROUND WATE, 39(6), 2001, pp. 807-818
A method is described to estimate the distribution of ground water recharge
within hydrographic basins in the Great Basin region of the southwestern U
nited States on the basis of estimated runoff from high mountainous areas a
nd subsequent infiltration in alluvial fans surrounding the intermontane ba
sins. The procedure involves a combination of Geographic Information System
(GIS) analysis, empirical surface-runoff modeling, and water-balance calcu
lations. The method addresses the need to develop and incorporate constrain
ts on the distribution of recharge in regional-scale ground water flow mode
ling of arid and semiarid environments. The conceptual approach and methodo
logy were developed for Crescent Valley, Nevada. However, the concept and m
ethod are generally applicable to any region where excess precipitation in
upland areas is conveyed to lower elevations before it infiltrates to recha
rge the ground water system. Application of the procedure to a ground water
flow model of Crescent Valley appears both qualitatively and quantitativel
y to result in a more accurate representation of actual recharge conditions
than might otherwise have been prescribed.