Problems that involve the interaction of ground water and surface water are becoming increasingly important in managing water resources in the western United States. Improving the connection of surface-water models to ground-water models is important to improving our ability to adequately assess the effects of withdrawing ground water on surface water supplies or assessing changes in surface-water resources on ground-water supplies. New models that can better simulate the interaction of surface processes on ground-water recharge and discharge are needed.

Objectives

Develop new methods for simulating the interaction between streams and ground water by developing computer programs that link surface processess (rainfall/runoff) to infiltration and ground-water recharge and route flows along active streams while simulating the interaction between ground water and surface water.

Strategy and Approach

New computer programs will be written that link surface-water routing models and rainfall/runoff models to MODFLOW by programming a connection that accounts for flow of water through the unsaturated zone beneath land surface. A kinematic-wave approximation to flow through the unsaturated zone will be used to link infiltration at the surface to recharge at the water table.

Model Availability and Additional Project Information

MODFLOW and associated programs are available from MODFLOW web page.

Additional Information about this program is also available from the USGS Ground Water Resources Web Site.

Relevance and Benefits

The study is important to the USGS Strategic Plan in accordance with Issue 8-- surface-water and ground-water interaction as related to water-resource management. Development of new computer programs will improve the ability to adequately assess effects of ground water withdrawals on surface supplies as well as assess effects of changing surface water supplies on ground-water resources.

Publications

Markstrom, S.L., Niswonger, R.G., Regan, R.S., Prudic, D.E., and Barlow, P.M., 2007, GSFLOW—Coupled groundwater and surface-water flow model based on the integration of the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (PRMS) and the Modular Ground-Water Flow Model (MODFLOW-2005): U.S. Geological Survey Techniques and Methods 6-D1, 240 p.

Niswonger, R.G., Prudic, D.E., Fogg, G.E., and Stonestrom, D.A., 2006, Flow in an initially dry stream channel: EOS Trans., AGU, 87(52), Fall Meet. Suppl. Abstract H31H-02

Halford, K.J., 2006, MODOPTIM--A general optimization program for ground-water flow model calibration and ground-water management with MODFLOW: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2006-5009, 62 p.

Prudic, D.E., and Niswonger, R.G., 2006, Revisions to the U.S. Geological Survey's MODFLOW lake package for simulation of ground-water interactions with lakes: Eos. Trans. AGU, 87(52), Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract H31H-01

Niswonger, R.G., Prudic, D.E., and Regan, R.S., 2006, Documentation of the unsaturated-zone flow (UZF1) package for modeling unsaturated flow between the land surface and the water table with MODFLOW-2005: U.S. Geological Survey Techniques and Methods 6-A19, 62 p.

Markstrom, S.L., Regan, R.S., Niswonger, R.G., Prudic, D.E., and Viger, R.J., 2006, GSFLOW—A basin-scale model for coupled simulation of ground-water and surface-water flow—Part A. Concepts for modeling surface-water flow with the U.S. Geological Survey precipitation-runoff modeling system: Joint 8th Federal Interagency Sedimentation and 3rd Hydrologic Modeling Conferences, Reno, Nev., April 2-6, 2006.

Niswonger, R.G., Markstrom, L.S., Regan, R.S., Prudic, D.E., Pohll, G., and Viger, R.J., 2006, Modeling Ground-Water/Surface-Water Interaction with GSFLOW, a New USGS Model: Proceedings, MODFLOW and more 2006—Managing Ground-Water Systems, Golden, Colo., May 21-24, 2006, p. 99-103.

Niswonger, R.G., Prudic, D.E., Markstrom, L.S., Regan, R.S., and Viger, R.J., 2006, GSFLOW—A basin-scale model for coupled simulation of ground-water and surface-water flow—Part B. concepts for modeling saturated and unsaturated subsurface flow with the U.S. Geological Survey modular ground-water model: Joint 8th Federal Interagency Sedimentation and 3rd Hydrologic Modeling Conferences, Reno, Nev., April 2-6, 2006.

Niswonger, R.G., Prudic, D.E., Pohll, Greg, Constantz, Jim, 2005, Incorporating seepage losses into the unsteady streamflow equations for simulating intermittent flow along mountain front streams: Water Resources Research, v. 41, no. 6, p. 6006.

Niswonger, R.G., Regan, R.S., Prudic, D.E., Markstrom, S.L., Pohll, G., and Viger, R.J., 2005, Modeling ground-water recharge from precipitation development and implementation of the GSFLOW model: Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs, v. 37, no. 7, p. 30.

Niswonger, R.G., and Prudic, D.E., 2005, Documentation of the streamflow-routing (SFR2) package to include unsaturated flow beneath streams--A modification to SFR1: U.S. Geological Survey Techniques and Methods 6-A13, 48 p.

Prudic, D.E., Konikow, L.F., and Banta, E.R., 2004, A New Streamflow-Routing (SFR1) Package to Simulate Stream-Aquifer Interaction with MODFLOW-2000: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2004-1042, 95 p.

Niswonger, R.G., and Prudic, D.E., 2004, Modeling variably saturated flow using kinematic waves in MODFLOW in Hogan, J.F., Phillips, F.M., and Scanlon, B.R., eds., Groundwater recharge in a desert environment: American Geophysical Union, Water Science and Application 9, p. 101-112

Niswonger, R.G., and Prudic, D.E., 2003, A kinematic wave solution for simulating unsaturated flow beneath streams using MODFLOW: Proceedings, MODFLOW and more 2003—Understanding through modeling, Golden, Colo., September 16-19, 2003, p. 149

Niswonger, R.G., and Prudic, D.E., 2003, Appendix B—Modeling heat as a tracer to estimate streambed seepage and hydraulic conductivity, in Stonestrom, D.A., and Constantz, Jim, ed., Heat as a tool for studying the movement of ground water near streams: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1260, p. 81-89.

Niswonger, R.G., and Prudic, D.E., 2003, Modeling heat as a tracer to estimate streambed seepage and hydraulic conductivity, in Stonestrom, D.A., and Constantz, J., eds., Heat as a tool for studying the movement of ground water near streams: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1260, p. 81-89.

Prudic, D.E., 2001, Modeling surface-water interaction with ground water using MODFLOW 2000: Geological Society of America, Annual Meeting, Boston, Mass., November 5-8, 2001,
Paper No. 169-0

Niswonger, R.G., Prudic, D.E., and Constantz, Jim, 2000, Estimating recharge and flow from mountain-front streams using temperature measurements and coupling models of surface and groundwater flow [abs.]: Eos Transactions, American Geophysical Union, v. 81, no. 48, p. F422.

Fenske, J.P., and Prudic, D.E., 1998, Development of HMS/MODFLOW for simulation of surface and groundwater flow: MODFLOW '98, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, October 1998, Proceedings, v. 1, p. 463-470.

Fenske, J.P., Leake, S.A., and Prudic, D.E., 1996, Documentation of a computer program (RES1) to simulate leakage from reservoirs using the modular finite-difference ground-water flow model (MODFLOW): U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 96-364, 51 p.

Leake, S.A., and Prudic, D.E., 1991, Documentation of a computer program to simulate aquifer-system compaction using the modular finite-difference ground-water flow model: U.S. Geological Survey Techniques of Water-Resources Investigations, book 6, chap. A2, 68 p.