A groundwater monitoring program based upon a groundwater flow model

Abstract

This thesis concerns a groundwater modeling study south of Tucson, Arizona where 10,000 acre-feet of Central Arizona Project water may be annually recharged. South and west of the site are the Santa Cruz River and the Tohono O'odham Indian Nation. Well fields to the immediate east, west and south supply water to the City of Tucson and to farming and copper mining corporations. Operation of the corporate well fields has lead to a water table depression just west of the site. The purpose of the model is to understand of the most probable groundwater flow regime in light of aquifer recharging and groundwater mining. The model serves to compare groundwater conditions with previous investigations. Lack of data precluded the construction of a model capable of producing reliable predictive results. Hydrogeologic data gathered provide a foundation for future modeling studies. Insufficient data serve as indicators of present groundwater monitoring deficiencies.