Groundwater recharge quantification for the sustainability of ecosystems in plains of Argentina

Abstract

Groundwater recharge is balanced by discharge from aquifers to springs and rivers under natural conditions. This equilibrium is affected by pumping of groundwater and may cause important losses in discharge areas where wetlands and other riparian ecosystems are developed. Thus, a correct and integrated management of groundwater resources has to take into account the recharge and discharge of aquifer systems and the groundwater user requirements of a region. The objective of this work is to quantify local groundwater recharge and to give a preliminary estimation of the amount of regional groundwater recharge in a central sector of the Santa Fe province (Argentina). The water table fluctuation and chloride mass balance methods were used to estimate local and regional groundwater recharge. The results of this work are important and contribute to a better knowledge of the groundwater system, providing quantitative criteria on which to base the management and protection of groundwater dependent ecosystems.