Groundwater modelling as a tool for the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) application: The Llobregat case

Vàzquez-Suñé, Enric; Abarca, Elena; Carrera, Jesús; Capino, B.; Gámez, Desiré; Pool, M.; Simó, T.; Batlle, F.; Niñerola, Josep M.; Ibáñez, X.

doi:10.1016/j.pce.2006.07.008

Cited by 51 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…This detritical complex contains several incisive fluvial systems separated by marginal marine strata and it is associated with three paleodeltas currently located seawards of the present shoreline (Vàzquez-Suñé et al, 2006;Abarca et al, 2006).…”

Section: Q1 Inmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessment of the barrier effect caused by underground constructions on porous aquifers with low hydraulic gradient: A case study of the metro construction in Barcelona, Spain

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Vàzquez-Suñé

et al. 2015

Engineering Geology

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Construction of tunnels can impact aquifers because of the changes produced in the natural groundwater behavior. The drain effect, which is one of the most important impacts, can be eliminated using a tunnelboring machine (TBM) to drill a tunnel with an impervious lining. However, the use of impermeable linings results in aquifer obstruction, giving rise to the barrier effect, which may cause an increase and decrease of the hydraulic head upgradient and downgradient of the tunnel, respectively. This modification of the hydraulic head, which can be predicted analytically and is proportional to the natural hydraulic gradient of the aquifer perpendicular to the tunnel (i N ) (before it is constructed), is negligible for aquifers with values of i N that are very small or null (approximately 0). In these cases, the analytical solutions are not useful to estimate the real impact because the head distribution is not largely affected. This study proposes a methodology to evaluate the hydrogeological impact produced by the construction of underground impervious structures in aquifers, which have a small or null i N . The method, which is based on the analysis of the groundwater response to pumping tests performed before and after construction, was tested in a stratified porous aquifer and was used along with numerical modeling to assess the barrier effect in an experimental site (Sant Cosme, El Prat de Llobregat, Barcelona). The impact on the head distribution was negligible. However, the reduction of the connectivity was considerable. Pumping tests can determine the changes in aquifer connectivity caused by the construction of an underground impervious structure. The behavior of the groundwater during the post-tunneling pumping changes with regard to the pre-tunneling tests. A delay in the response to the pumping and a decrease of the drawdown are observed in the piezometers located on the opposite side of the tunnel where the well is placed, whereas an increase of drawdown occurs in the piezometers situated on the same side of the well. The procedure explained in this paper reveals a useful tool for determining the impact caused by underground impermeable constructions in aquifers, where i N is small or even 0.

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Section: Q1 Inmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A number of groundwater studies have been conducted in this area in recent decades (e.g., MOP, 1966;Vàzquez-Suñé et al, 2006;Gámez, 2007). From a hydrogeological perspective, the Llobregat Delta consists of different aquifers separated by silt and clay layers of low to medium hydraulic conductivity (Gámez, 2007).…”

Section: Hydrogeological Settingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of the barrier effect caused by underground constructions on porous aquifers with low hydraulic gradient: A case study of the metro construction in Barcelona, Spain

Font-Capó

Pujades

Vàzquez-Suñé

et al. 2015

Engineering Geology

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“…It is an important step in the management and assessment of groundwater in general. However, its regulations are typically too lax and do not provide for adequate management of urban aquifers required for the sustainable, controlled exploitation of water and geothermal resources García-Gil et al, 2015b;Gleeson et al, 2012a;Vázquez-Suñé et al, 2006).…”

Section: E Vázquez-suñé Et Al: a Geological Model For The Managemenmentioning

confidence: 99%

A geological model for the management of subsurface data in the urban environment of Barcelona and surrounding area

et al. 2016

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Abstract. The overdevelopment of cities since the industrial revolution has shown the need to incorporate a sound geological knowledge in the management of required subsurface infrastructures and in the assessment of increasingly needed groundwater resources. Additionally, the scarcity of outcrops and the technical difficulty to conduct underground exploration in urban areas highlights the importance of implementing efficient management plans that deal with the legacy of heterogeneous subsurface information. To deal with these difficulties, a methodology has been proposed to integrate all the available spatio-temporal data into a comprehensive spatial database and a set of tools that facilitates the analysis and processing of the existing and newly added data for the city of Barcelona (NE Spain). Here we present the resulting actual subsurface 3-D geological model that incorporates and articulates all the information stored in the database. The methodology applied to Barcelona benefited from a good collaboration between administrative bodies and researchers that enabled the realization of a comprehensive geological database despite logistic difficulties. Currently, the public administration and also private sectors both benefit from the geological understanding acquired in the city of Barcelona, for example, when preparing the hydrogeological models used in groundwater assessment plans. The methodology further facilitates the continuous incorporation of new data in the implementation and sustainable management of urban groundwater, and also contributes to significantly reducing the costs of new infrastructures.

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“…All thermal and hydraulic parameters needed for the calculation of LTGP for each of the seven layers considered has been individually mapped. This includes, in each aquifer layer, detailed hydraulic gradients extracted from previous piezometric maps and groundwater numeric models [34,40,41]. In Table 1, the range of the variation of the thermal and hydraulic parameters used for the seven layers considered is presented.…”

Section: Data Integrationmentioning

confidence: 99%

GIS-supported mapping of low-temperature geothermal potential taking groundwater flow into account

et al. 2015

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a b s t r a c tTo promote the utilization of ground-source heat pumps, a new methodology to calculate the lowtemperature geothermal potential (LTGP) of a region is presented. The methodology is applicable worldwide, and it considers both closed-and open-loop systems. This new approximation for closedloops calculates the admissible heat flux exchange with the ground according to an analytical solution of the heat transport equation in porous media. Open-loop systems are calculated as a function of a sustainable removable water flux and the temperature difference between groundwater and a referenced external body. The automated calculation in the setting of a GIS platform has allowed the performance of multilayered 3D mapping of the low-temperature geothermal potential for both types of exploitations considering all of the available information. An example of the application of the methodology in the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona (Spain) is also presented. Finally, a finite element analysis has been performed to quantify the accuracy of the method and the influence of heat advection processes in the LTGP.

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Groundwater modelling as a tool for the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) application: The Llobregat case

Cited by 51 publications

References 4 publications

Assessment of the barrier effect caused by underground constructions on porous aquifers with low hydraulic gradient: A case study of the metro construction in Barcelona, Spain

Assessment of the barrier effect caused by underground constructions on porous aquifers with low hydraulic gradient: A case study of the metro construction in Barcelona, Spain

A geological model for the management of subsurface data in the urban environment of Barcelona and surrounding area

GIS-supported mapping of low-temperature geothermal potential taking groundwater flow into account

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