Method of estimating natural recharge to the Edwards Aquifer in the San Antonio area, Texas

Toward Reproducible Environmental Modeling for Decision Support: A Worked Example

“…In this way, we attempt to account for spatial uncertainty as well as temporal uncertainty in the recharge estimates. See Brakefield et al (2015; Figure 15) for an example of the recharge zonation and Puente (1978) for a description of the Edwards aquifer recharge estimation process. Readers are referred to the Supplementary Material for a graphically summary of the multi-scale parameterization.…”

The Edwards Aquifer

“…Estimates of recharge from losing streams are based on stream gaging and estimates of precipitation in contributing zone watersheds. Puente (1978) established the basic method of estimating recharge from losing streams by stream gaging above and below the recharge zone. The difference was the calculated recharge.…”

Temporal and spatial variability of water quality in the San Antonio segment of the Edwards aquifer recharge zone, Texas, with an emphasis on periods of groundwater recharge, September 2017–July 2019

“…Most of the recharge to the Edwards aquifer takes place by direct infiltration from streams that drain the contributing zone ( fig. 1) as they cross the recharge zone and enter the aquifer through solution-enlarged conduits and sink holes in the channel bed (Puente, 1978;Maclay and Land, 1988). Intense storms with heavy rainfall are common, and flash flooding in streams greatly enhances groundwater recharge following such storms.…”

“…Groundwater recharge occurs primarily in the unconfined zone of the Edwards aquifer ( fig. 1) (Puente, 1978;Maclay and Land, 1988), though leakage from the underlying Trinity aquifer might also contribute to the Edwards aquifer (Lindgren and others, 2004). The porous nature of the Edwards aquifer recharge zone makes the system vulnerable to contamination from sources at the land surface because the rapid transport of surface-water recharge through sinkholes and losing reaches of streams provides little opportunity for subsurface filtration, sorption, or degradation of the contaminants (White, 1988).…”