Effects of Weir Operation on Seasonal Groundwater Use: A Case Study of the Han River, South Korea

Autor: Hyeonju Lee, Eunhee Lee, Yongcheol Kim, Soo-Hyoung Lee, Min-Ho Koo
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2022
Předmět:
Zdroj: Water, Vol 14, Iss 4, p 646 (2022)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 14040646
2073-4441
DOI: 10.3390/w14040646
Popis: During the cold dry season, a large amount of groundwater is pumped for water-curtain cultivation in agricultural fields mostly located near the four major rivers of South Korea. Several weirs, installed previously to secure sufficient water resources from these rivers, were opened in 2017 for restoring the riverine environment. Weir-controlled river level fluctuations have altered stream–aquifer interactions, leading to groundwater drawdown. In this study, changes in stream–aquifer interaction caused by seasonal pumping and weir opening were investigated, using Visual MODFLOW. Two indexes that considered the pump type and aquifer characteristics—the pumping available thickness (PAT) and aquifer productivity index (API)—were used to analyze the effects of weir opening on seasonal groundwater use. Our simulations indicated that weir opening had a large impact on seasonal groundwater use due to groundwater drawdown, especially with respect to centrifugal pumps located in low transmissivity areas where the API decreased after the weir was opened. The resulting decrease in groundwater pumping rates would lower the thermal effect of the water-curtain greenhouse process. This indicates that water supply alternatives are needed so that the weirs can be operated efficiently and field requirements can be met, while the deleterious effects on groundwater are avoided.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals