Analysis of the recharge processes and surface-groundwater interactions in the Bolo catchment of the Cauca river, Colombia

Authors

  • Guillermo Céspedes López
  • Tibor Yvan Stigter IHE – Institute for Water Education
  • Maria Teresa Condesso de Melo Instituto Superior Técnico Universidade de Lisboa
  • Micha Werner IHE – Institute for Water Education

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21701/bolgeomin.132.1-2.012

Keywords:

groundwater, hydrogeology, recharge, soil water balance, surface water - groundwater interaction

Abstract


We have carried out a detailed analysis of the recharge processes and surface water -roundwater flow interactions in the Bolo catchment of the Cauca River (Colombia), one of the areas with highest groundwater demand in the region. This research is focused on the study of groundwater recharge in the aquifer and its interactions with the Bolo River. Estimated recharge varies with the geology, with a higher recharge in the alluvial fans mostly underlain by loam sandy soils, and lower values in the alluvial plains, where loam clay soils are redominant. Estimation of average annual recharge by the soil water balance method varies from 162 mm/year (11% of P) in the alluvial plains and up to 522 mm/year (35% of P) in the alluvial fans. Estimated recharge values are lower with the chloride mass balance method, with an average of 102 mm/year (7% of P) in the alluvial plains and 385 mm/ year (26% of P) in the fans. Surface water - groundwater interactions were studied through the analysis of groundwater hydraulic heads and hydrochemical analysis. Our results confirm that the Bolo River and the shallow aquifer have different interactions throughout the catchment, producing recharge and discharge areas.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Allison, G. A. and Hughes, M. W. 1978. The use of environmental chloride and tritium to estimate total recharge to an unconfined aquifer. Australian Journal of Soil Research, 16, 181-195. https://doi.org/10.1071/SR9780181

CVC, Corporación Autónoma Regional del Valle del Cauca. 2000. Plan de Manejo para las Aguas Subterráneas en el departamento del Valle del Cauca. Cali.

CVC, Corporación Autónoma Regional del Valle del Cauca, and UNIVALLE, Universidad del Valle. 2007. El Río Cauca en su Valle Alto: Un aporte al conocimiento de uno de los ríos más importantes de Colombia. Cali.

de Vries, J. J. and Simmers, I. 2002. Groundwater recharge: An overview of process and challenges. Hydrogeology Journal, 10(1), 5-17. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10040-001-0171-7

Fleckenstein, J. H., Krause, S., Hannah, D. M., and Boano, F. 2010. Groundwater-surface water interactions: New methods and models to improve understanding of processes and dynamics. Advances in Water Resources, 33(11), 1291-1295. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.advwatres.2010.09.011

Nonner, J. and Stigter, T. 2016. Manual for the Recharge Computation Spreadsheet (EXCEL). Trabajo Inédito. The Netherlands.

Piper, A. M. 1944. A graphic procedure in geochemical interpretation of water analyses. American Geophysical Union, 25, 914- 923. https://doi.org/10.1029/TR025i006p00914

Ross, A. 2017. Speeding the transition towards integrated groundwater and surface water management in Australia. Journal of Hydrology, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2017.01.037

Stiff, H. A. 1951. The interpretation of chemical water analysis by means of patterns. Journal of Petroleum Technology, (3), 15-17. https://doi.org/10.2118/951376-G

Downloads

Published

2021-06-30

How to Cite

Céspedes López, G., Stigter, T. Y. ., Condesso de Melo, M. T. ., & Werner, M. (2021). Analysis of the recharge processes and surface-groundwater interactions in the Bolo catchment of the Cauca river, Colombia. Boletín Geológico Y Minero, 132(1-2), 115–125. https://doi.org/10.21701/bolgeomin.132.1-2.012

Issue

Section

Articles