Geological Society of America

20 Water Use and Availability in the Great Lakes Basin

Friday, 3 April 2009
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM

GROUNDWATER FLOW MODELING IN SUPPORT OF WATER-SUPPLY PLANNING IN NORTHEASTERN ILLINOIS

Paper number: 20-1
Program: Symposia Sessions
Time: 8:00 AM – 8:20 AM

Authors

Scott C. Meyer Presenting Author
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL
Yu-Feng Forrest Lin
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL
George S. Roadcap
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL
Douglas D. Walker
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL

Abstract

By the year 2020, the population of the greater Chicago metropolitan area is predicted to increase by almost 15 percent over the present-day population. Prompted by concerns over the adequacy of the water supply to support such growth, the Illinois State Water Survey and Illinois State Geological Survey have conducted a study of the water resources in this region with the specific objective of providing a scientific basis for the formulation of policy and management strategy.

Groundwater flow models on two scales are a central deliverable because they constitute tools for future evaluation of the consequences of groundwater development schemes and management scenarios. These include (1) a high-resolution model of shallow aquifers in Kane County, Illinois—the chief area of concern—that is nested within (2) a lower-resolution, regional-scale model covering parts of Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana. Studies using these models have emphasized quantifying the impacts of alternative pumping scenarios (e.g., drawdown, changes to the hydrologic budget, and the associated uncertainties), rather than an estimate of the safe yield.