Hydrogeological study and modeling of the Kern Water Bank

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Hydrogeological study and modeling of the Kern Water Bank
Laurent M. Meillier, University of California, Santa Barbara
Jordan F. Clark, University of California, Santa Barbara
Hugo Loaiciga, University of California, Santa Barbara

Technical completion report (University of California Water Resources Center), Project Number UCAL-WRC-W-915.

Download the Paper (312 K, PDF file) - October 1, 2001
Related Files:
CLARK TCR Fig._1_pdf.pdf (133 kB)
Figure 1: Map of the Kern Water Bank showing the monitoring wells and recharge ponds. Next to each well are the well numbers for the shallow (top) and deep (bottom) zones. The different recharge pond areas are also labeled. See table 1 for recharge rates, etc.
CLARK TCR Fig_2.TIFF (395 kB)
Figure 2: Atmospheric growth curves of CFC-11 and CFC-12 for the clean northern hemisphere.
CLARK TCR Fig._3_pdf.pdf (118 kB)
Figure 3: The Kern Water Bank hydrogeological model grid. The squares and the circles represents monitoring and production wells, respectively. The grey cells are inactive.
CLARK TCR Fig_5.TIFF (395 kB)
Figure 5: The stable isotope composition of KWB groundwater, high Sierra run-off (Emerald Lake), and The State Water Project water. GMWL = Global meteoric water line.
CLARK TCR Fig._6_pdf.pdf (137 kB)
Figure 6: Map of the Kern Water Bank showing the monitoring wells and recharge ponds. Next to each well is the CFC-12 apparent age in years (August 2000 data). cont = contaminated (see text), >40 = CFC concentration was less than the analytical detection limit, and --- = no sample was collected.
CLARK TCR Fig_7.TIFF (297 kB)
Figure 7: Correlation between CFC-11 and CFC-12 apparent ages. The samples that were either contaminated or below the analytical detection limit were plotted.

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ABSTRACT:

The Kern Water Bank (KWB) is located in the Kern River alluvial fan at the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley, Kern County, California. In January and August 2000, shallow and deep monitoring wells were sampled at 10 or 13 locations, respectively. The samples were analyzed for chlorofluorocarbons (CFC-11 and CFC-12) and stable isotopes of water ([symbol omitted]18O and [symbol omitted]D). Results indicate that relatively young groundwater (<20 yrs) is found in northern and central areas in the shallower wells near where water is actively recharged. An intermediate dated (20 to 40 yrs) groundwater component is encountered in the deeper wells of the central areas of the KWB. The oldest waters (>40 yrs) are found in the southern and western areas and in the deep northern wells. The stable isotope composition varied significantly within the KWB and correlated neither with location or CFC age. It suggests a Sierra Nevada water source.

A numerical model of flow was developed using Visual Modflow Software. The model is composed of three layers (total thickness 226 m), representing the basic aquifer structure. Each layer is built on a 58 columns, 39 rows grid consisting of 1935 active and 327 inactive cells ranging in size from 0.16 to 0.65 km2. The model is built with hydrogeological parameters compiled by the California Department of Water Resources, monitoring wells, production wells, and assumed boundary conditions. Other field data consisted of: (i) spring 1994 initial groundwater surface, (ii) KWB and Kern County Water Agency (1994-2000) artificial recharge rates, (iii) seven years of hydraulic heads records at 26 monitoring wells and (iv) pumping rates at productions wells. The calibrated model was run over a 7 years simulation period (1994-2000) in a transient mode, with twelve time steps for each stress period. The root mean squared error between simulated and measured hydraulic heads was calculated at 8 m. The best agreement between simulated and observed hydraulic heads was found in the deep wells located in the southern section of the KWB away from the active spreading ponds.

SUGGESTED CITATION:
Laurent M. Meillier, Jordan F. Clark, and Hugo Loaiciga, "Hydrogeological study and modeling of the Kern Water Bank" (October 1, 2001). University of California Water Resources Center. Technical Completion Reports. Paper meillier.
http://repositories.cdlib.org/wrc/tcr/meillier

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