Finite Difference Modelings of Groundwater Flow for Constructing Artificial Recharge Structures

Rainfall and deep percolation of irrigation are the most important sources of recharge in Khatoon-Abad plain, Kerman province, Iran. Artificial recharge is a practical strategy to increase the storage capacity of groundwater in drought condition. Modeling of groundwater flow for a steady-state period (April 2017 to October 2017) and an unsteady state period from October 2012 to August 2019 was simulated in monthly stress steps. In this study, root mean square error and coefficient of residual mass have been used to evaluate the results of calibration and verification process obtained by PMWIN software. Moreover, two strategies of artificial recharge were incorporated for considering the water table fluctuations. The results show that artificial recharge by direct injection of water into the aquifer prevents evaporation, runoff and outflow as runoff from the plain and increases the aquifer water availability. In different scenarios, the different amounts of recharge were applied to the aquifer, and the simulation results showed that the effect of recharge in the study period varies from 3 km to more than 7 km.