Making Accurate Groundwater Flow Models

No groundwater model is perfectly accurate, but some are more helpful than others. By definition, a model is a simplified representation of a system intended to enhance understanding of the actual system. Building truly representative groundwater models can be challenging, for even the most experienced hydrogeologist. Building groundwater models is a careful process. The best way to characterize a groundwater system is by direct measurement -- which generally employs a multifaceted approach including geologic reconnaissance, borehole drilling and physical measurements of the subsurface. Although the two processes of electrical and hydraulic conduction are governed by very different principles, electric current flow can be used to qualitatively infer the distribution of hydraulic conductance in the subsurface, which can help minimize some of the many assumptions that must go into a groundwater model. While no groundwater model is perfect, inclusion of a geophysical technique designed specifically to map groundwater channels can be a powerful means of minimizing assumptions that must go into a groundwater model to provide a more accurate representation of the groundwater system.