Achieving groundwater resource sustainability at watershed scale by conjunctive use of groundwater and surface resources

Abstract

The main goal of paper is to identify optimal water resources management strategies for groundwater resources sustainability achievement in Maharlou-Bakhtegan watershed in Iran and maximum water supply probability to the demand sites. In the present study, conjunctive use of groundwater and surface resources along with a scenario-based analysis approach is examined to achieve the optimal water resource management and plan Maharlou-Bakhtegan watershed using MODSIM model as a decision support system (DSS) for the basic river catchment management. The proposed approach is used to assess the effects of the different management strategies, climate changes, groundwater withdrawal levels and irrigation efficiency on the groundwater resources sustainability, agricultural water supply, and environmental water demand satisfaction. To quantify the system performance, six management scenarios are defined and modelled by MODSIM. For assessment of the system performance in each scenario, three performance indicators including reliability, vulnerability, and resiliency are introduced and defined. The findings showed that the fifth scenario (SC5) strategies satisfied all of the considered management goals and proposed the optimal management solutions for sustainability achievement of the groundwater resources.

Keywords: Maharlou-Bakhtegan Watershed, Groundwater Resources Sustainability, MODSIM, Scenario Analysis, Performance Indices