Natural Groundwater Recharge Response to Urbanization: Vermillion River Watershed, Minnesota
Publication: Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 135, Issue 6
Abstract
Urban development of rural land can be a concern for water resources and wildlife. The quantity and quality of surface water runoff and groundwater recharge can be significantly affected by urbanization. Base flow in streams and cold-water habitat, e.g., for trout, depend on groundwater. If water recharge to aquifers is reduced, and surface runoff is increased, streamflow and cold-water habitat can be adversely affected. An investigation of the changes to groundwater recharge resulting from the urbanization of a rural/natural area in the Vermillion River watershed in Minnesota was conducted. Well established principles and relationships for the estimation of infiltration (Soil Conservation Service (SCS) and Green-Ampt (GA) methods] and evapotranspiration [Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)-56 Penman-Monteith) were applied, and percolation or groundwater recharge was determined using a water budget approach. The relationships were assembled in three models called the FAO-SCS, the FAO-GA, and the GA models. Four scenarios of land development representing progressive stages of urbanization (past, present, plus , and plus ) were developed and groundwater recharge was simulated for each scenario from predevelopment to fully developed. In 2005, about 60% of the watershed of a tributary to the Vermillion River was undeveloped agricultural and natural land, and about 40% was developed urban residential and commercial land. Model estimates of groundwater recharge under the 2005 land-use conditions ranged from 12 to 24% of of annual precipitation. The full urban development of the study site would result in a decrease of groundwater recharge to a range of 9 to 14% of precipitation. To make this projection, the impervious areas were raised from an average of 18% for the present scenario to an average of 36%. The case study shows that the increase of 18% in impervious area may decrease the recharge by about 20 to 40% of its present value. A change of this magnitude will substantially affect the water supply to the aquifer which discharges into the Vermillion River which is classified as a cold-water (trout) stream.
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Acknowledgments
This study was conducted with support from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, St. Paul, Minnesota, with Bruce Wilson as the project officer. Climate data were obtained from Dr. David Ruschy, University of Minnesota, Department of Soil, Climate and Water, and Ben Worel and Tim Clyne, Minnesota Department of Transportation. Greg Eggers and Roman Kanivetsky of the Minnesota Geological Survey/University of Minnesota, and David Lorenz of the U.S. Geological Survey provided reference materials. Omid Mosheni, William Herb, and Ben Janke from Saint Anthony Falls Laboratory gave helpful comments and suggestions. The writers are grateful to these individuals and organizations for their cooperation.
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Information
Published In
Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 135 • Issue 6 • November 2009
Pages: 512 - 520
Copyright
© 2009 ASCE.
History
Received: Jan 23, 2008
Accepted: Feb 18, 2009
Published online: Oct 15, 2009
Published in print: Nov 2009
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