Using groundwater responses to infer recharge –

Analytical methods of assessing the response of groundwater levels to a range of factors, including elastic (barometric and tidal) influences in confined aquifers and recharge to unconfined aquifers due to infiltration of rain and other surface water, are presented. Responses in a confined aquifer to distant recharge events and the associated time lag is discussed. Also covered are responses to changes in storage volume resulting from direct recharge at the outcrop of an unconfined aquifer system both seasonally and on a single recharge event basis. Worked examples and case histories are used to illustrate methods of estimating the amount of recharge at different sites within a catchment. The application of vertical cross-sectional flow nets to the estimation of recharge is presented in the context of recharge/discharge profiles.