Hydrogeology in North America: past and future

Playing with models and optimization to overcome the tragedy of the commons in groundwater

“…It has been recognized that hydrogeology emphasizes the societal importance of water resources and is expected that this science be able to solve the problems of supply, security, and management of this resource. In all this problems, the interdisciplinary approach will must likely needed . But even when this is true, it might be not sufficient to face the complexity of the actual problems in hydrogeology.…”

The Future of Hydrogeology, Then and Now: A Look Back at O.E. Meinzer’s Perspectives, 1934 to 1947

“…American work was noteworthy primarily for regional‐scale studies by USGS geologists such as T.C. Chamberlin, who investigated the principles of artesian flow; W.C. Mendenhall, who studied ground water resources in southern California; and N.H. Darton, who mapped water resources in the Plains states (Deming 2002; Narasimhan 2005). Meinzer built on these accomplishments by his own studies, which were communicated in 110 technical publications (Deming 2002).…”

“…Current concerns about model validation are of a piece with Meinzer’s foresight regarding well hydraulics, “In the course of time more comparison between computations and actual long‐term observations will become available, and these should be studied with a view toward refining the methods by which the computations were made” (Meinzer 1947b, 419). As Narasimhan (2005, 11) noted, Meinzer’s “1927 publication on plants as groundwater indicators … [is] remarkably relevant today” with the recognition of ground water’s role in supporting ecosystems. Meinzer’s emphasis on ground water microbiology and “the purifying capacities of the rocks” (Meinzer 1947a, 674) was a far‐sighted anticipation of natural attenuation and other biogeochemical processes that remain priorities (Miller and Gray 2002; Narasimhan 2005).…”

“…As Narasimhan (2005, 11) noted, Meinzer’s “1927 publication on plants as groundwater indicators … [is] remarkably relevant today” with the recognition of ground water’s role in supporting ecosystems. Meinzer’s emphasis on ground water microbiology and “the purifying capacities of the rocks” (Meinzer 1947a, 674) was a far‐sighted anticipation of natural attenuation and other biogeochemical processes that remain priorities (Miller and Gray 2002; Narasimhan 2005).…”

“…Some of the most fundamental advances by Meinzer's staff were made by geologists and engineers studying transient ground water flow, including C.V. Theis' 1935 development of the equation for transient flow to a well and C.E. Jacob's 1940 analysis of the role of compressibility in specific storage (Narasimhan 2005).…”