T158 Advances in Simulating Groundwater Flow and Transport

Tuesday, 11 October 2022
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
507

RECENT ADVANCES IN GROUNDWATER FLOW MODELING FOR WELLHEAD PROTECTION IN MINNESOTA

Paper number: T158-14
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 11:15 AM – 11:30 AM

Authors

Abstract

As the lead agency for the Wellhead Protection Program in Minnesota, the Minnesota Department of Health has been engaged in groundwater flow modeling for the past 30-years. Recent developments include a shift from local-scale models based primarily on analytic element methods to regional-scale models built in MODFLOW NWT/USG/6, and a standardized approach to uncertainty analysis of well capture zones using Monte Carlo methods in PEST. The shift to regional-scale modeling has been driven by the water resources planning framework in Minnesota, which is based largely on watersheds, and the move to MODFLOW is to create a unified, standardized set of interlocking models that can be used both for wellhead protection area delineations and broader aquifer protection efforts. The shift to a Monte Carlo approach for capture zone uncertainty analysis is driven by a goal of standardizing uncertainty analysis within the MODFLOW and MODPATH framework, enabled by enhanced flexibility in code development and modification that automates the process and creates a standard set of outputs.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 54, No. 6

doi: 10.1130/abs/2022AM-381562

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