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<p>The “Salto Arapey Aquifer System” (SASA) complex comprises the Salto, Fray Bentos, and Arapey geological formations. These geological formations make up a system that combines porous and fractured media that stores a large amount of fresh water, which supports various agricultural activities in the department of Salto, Uruguay. The essential economic activity linked to agriculture and livestock that stands out in the region, which implies intense exploitation of water resources, highlights the need to study and manage the aquifer system. There are also indications that the SASA and the main stream in the area, the San Antonio stream, may have an important hydraulic connection. Therefore, the development of an SASA model is proposed, which can advance the knowledge of the system, provide information on the link between surface and groundwater, and generate a tool for water resource management. A 3D model of the geological formations comprising the SASA was developed, combining well lithological information, geological surveys of outcrops, and geophysical surveys. A hydrogeological model was built using the MODFLOW code based on the 3D geological model, the stream network, pumping flows, and piezometric levels observations. The hydrological model estimated that although the greatest water inflow occurs through the surface water bodies (7.24E + 05 m<sup>3</sup>/d), there is a greater outflow (−9.48E + 05 m<sup>3</sup>/d). Therefore, there is net outflow through rivers (−2.24E + 05 m<sup>3</sup>/d) while the only net inflow is through the diffuse recharge (3.58E + 05 m<sup>3</sup>/d). The model allowed an evaluation of different scenarios in which the impacts on the SASA of an increase in exploitation or a decrease in recharge were evaluated. The scenario analysis showed that an increase in SASA exploitation or a decrease in recharge produces a significant reduction in the water table, which would reduce the contributions made by the system to the different streams. Some streams modified flow magnitudes and flow contribution direction, while others only varied their net contribution flow. These results show the important level of connectivity between the aquifer system and the streams, which highlights the importance of developing tools to support the integrated management of water resources.</p>

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Hydrogeological modeling of the Salto-Arapey aquifer system: A tool to understand connectivity and improve management

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2025年10月27日

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  • Armando Borrero,
  • Pablo Gamazo,
  • Julián Ramos,
  • Andrés Saracho,
  • Lucas Bessone,
  • Gonzalo Blanco,
  • Rafael Navas,
  • Elena Alvareda

摘要

The “Salto Arapey Aquifer System” (SASA) complex comprises the Salto, Fray Bentos, and Arapey geological formations. These geological formations make up a system that combines porous and fractured media that stores a large amount of fresh water, which supports various agricultural activities in the department of Salto, Uruguay. The essential economic activity linked to agriculture and livestock that stands out in the region, which implies intense exploitation of water resources, highlights the need to study and manage the aquifer system. There are also indications that the SASA and the main stream in the area, the San Antonio stream, may have an important hydraulic connection. Therefore, the development of an SASA model is proposed, which can advance the knowledge of the system, provide information on the link between surface and groundwater, and generate a tool for water resource management. A 3D model of the geological formations comprising the SASA was developed, combining well lithological information, geological surveys of outcrops, and geophysical surveys. A hydrogeological model was built using the MODFLOW code based on the 3D geological model, the stream network, pumping flows, and piezometric levels observations. The hydrological model estimated that although the greatest water inflow occurs through the surface water bodies (7.24E + 05 m3/d), there is a greater outflow (−9.48E + 05 m3/d). Therefore, there is net outflow through rivers (−2.24E + 05 m3/d) while the only net inflow is through the diffuse recharge (3.58E + 05 m3/d). The model allowed an evaluation of different scenarios in which the impacts on the SASA of an increase in exploitation or a decrease in recharge were evaluated. The scenario analysis showed that an increase in SASA exploitation or a decrease in recharge produces a significant reduction in the water table, which would reduce the contributions made by the system to the different streams. Some streams modified flow magnitudes and flow contribution direction, while others only varied their net contribution flow. These results show the important level of connectivity between the aquifer system and the streams, which highlights the importance of developing tools to support the integrated management of water resources.