Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Numerical groundwater flow modeling of the Kombolcha catchment northern Ethiopia

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Modeling Earth Systems and Environment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Intensive groundwater extraction is a changing groundwater system. It is also the main challenge for future groundwater availability. In this study, numerical groundwater flow model was developed in Kombolcha catchment, Ethiopia by using MODFLOW-OWHM. To address this concern, the conceptual model was built by analyzing the hydrogeological data. The groundwater model was calibrated under the steady-state condition to produce the best match between the simulated and observed hydraulic head. The simulated outflow of the MODFLOW model was 358,221.09 m3/day which is nearly equal to 358,221.08 m3/day of groundwater inflow with a difference 0.01 m3/day and zero discrepancies. The subsurface inflow covers the most percentage (76%) in the budget and surface outflow contributes about 66% of the total groundwater outflow. The model result shows that the Kombolcha aquifer system is highly sensitive to change of hydraulic conductivity. Prediction of this aquifer behavior for increasing well withdrawal and decreasing recharge scenarios has been carried out. The effect of increasing withdrawal by 25, 50 and 100% results in a decline of groundwater level by 6.77, 12.15 and 24.37 m, respectively, whereas the effect of decreasing groundwater recharge by the same percentage of withdrawal results in a decline of groundwater level by 4.27, 6.34 and 11.25 m, respectively. This model can be as a tool to understand the aquifer system and sustainable utilization of groundwater resources.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10

Similar content being viewed by others

Data availability

Some or all data, models, or codes that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

References

  • Anderson MP, Woessner WW (1992) Applied groundwater modeling simulation of flow and advective transport. Academic Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Anderson MP, Woessner WW, Hunt RJ (2015) Applied groundwater modeling simulation of flow and advective transport, 2nd edn. Academic Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Aynalem K (2015) Numerical groundwater flow and nitrate transport modeling for the prediction of impacts of land use changes on water quality in Akaki Catchment. Addis Ababa University Graduate Students, School of Earth Science, Addis Ababa

    Google Scholar 

  • Crowe AS, Shikaze SG, Ptacek CJ (2004) Numerical modelling of groundwater flow and contaminant transport to Point Pelee marsh, Ontario, Canada. Hydrol Process 18:293–314. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.1376

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Edet A, Abdelaziz R, Merkel B, Okereke C (2014) Numerical groundwater flow modeling of the coastal plain sand aquifer Akwa Ibom state, SE Nigeria. J Water Resour Protect 6:193–201. https://doi.org/10.4236/jwarp.2014.64025

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fouad M, Hussein EE (2018) Assessment of numerical groundwater models. Int J Sci Eng Res 9(6):951–974

    Google Scholar 

  • Gao H (2011) Groundwater modeling for flow systems with complex geological and hydrogeological conditions. Procedia Earth Planet Sci 3:23–28

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harbaugh AW, McDonald MG (1984) A modular three-dimensional finite-difference groundwater flow modeling. US Geological Survey, Reston

    Google Scholar 

  • Igboekwe MU, Rao VVSG, Okwueze EE (2008) Groundwater flow modelling of Kwa Ibo River watershed, southeastern Nigeria. Hydrol Process 2:1523–1531. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.6530

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koohestani N, Halaghi MM, Dehghani AA (2013) Numerical simulation of groundwater level using MODFLOW software (a case study: Narmab watershed, Golestan province). Int J Adv Biol Biomed Res 1(8):858–873

    Google Scholar 

  • Kumar CP (2019) An overview of commonly used groundwater modelling software. Int J Adv Res Sci Eng Technol 6(1):7854–7865

    Google Scholar 

  • Kumar S, Kumar M, Nayak T (2018) Sustainable development of groundwater: a case study of Begamganj block in Bina River Basin of Madhya Pradesh, India. Int J Recent Aspects 5(1):197–200

    Google Scholar 

  • Malekzadeh M, Kardar S, Shabanlou S (2019) Groundwater for sustainable development simulation of groundwater level using MODFLOW. Groundw Sustain Dev 9:100279. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsd.2019.100279

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marnani SA, Chitsazan M, Mirzaei Y, Jahandideh B, Blvd G (2010) Groundwater resources management in various scenarios using numerical model. Am J Geosci 1(1):21–26

    Google Scholar 

  • Mengistu HA, Demlie MB, Abiye TA, Xu Y, Kanyerere T (2019) Groundwater for Sustainable Development Conceptual hydrogeological and numerical groundwater flow modelling around the Moab Khutsong deep gold mine, South Africa. Groundw Sustain Dev 9:100266. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsd.2019.100266

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nigussie AA, Sebhat MY (2016) Numerical groundwater flow modeling of the northern river catchment of the Lake Tana, Upper Blue Basin, Ethiopia. J Agric Environ Int Dev 110(1):5–26. https://doi.org/10.12895/jaeid.20161.380

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nyende J, Tg V, Vermeulen D (2013) Conceptual and numerical model development for groundwater resources management in a regolith-fractured-basement aquifer system. J Earth Sci Clim Change 4(5):156. https://doi.org/10.4172/2157-7617.1000156

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oljira E (2006) Numerical groundwater flow modeling of the Akaki River catchment. Addis Ababa University Graduate Students, School of Earth Science, Addis Ababa

    Google Scholar 

  • Post VEA, Galvis SC, Sinclair PJ, Werner AD (2019) Evaluation of management scenarios for potable water supply using script-based numerical groundwater models of a freshwater lens. J Hydrol 571:843–855. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2019.02.024

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Satapona A, Prakasa D, Putra E, Hendrayana H (2018) Groundwater flow modeling in the Malioboro, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Journal of Applied Geology 3:11–22. https://doi.org/10.22146/jag.30

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sathish S, Elango L (2015) Numerical simulation and prediction of groundwater flow in a coastal aquifer of Southern India. J Water Resour Protect 7:1483–1494

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xu X, Huang G, Qu Z, Pereira LS (2011) Using MODFLOW and GIS to assess changes in groundwater dynamics in response to Water Yellow River Basin. Water Resour Manag 2:25. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-011-9793-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang Q, Lu W, Fang Y (2011) Numerical modeling of three dimension groundwater flow in Tongliao (China). Procedia Eng 24:638–642. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2011.11.2709

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou Y, Li W (2011) A review of regional groundwater flow modeling. Geosci Front 2(2):205–214. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsf.2011.03.003

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Arba Minch University, Arba Minch, Ethiopia

    Bedlu Gedle Azeref & Kedir Mohammed Bushira

Authors
  1. Bedlu Gedle Azeref
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Kedir Mohammed Bushira
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kedir Mohammed Bushira.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Azeref, B.G., Bushira, K.M. Numerical groundwater flow modeling of the Kombolcha catchment northern Ethiopia. Model. Earth Syst. Environ. 6, 1233–1244 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40808-020-00753-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40808-020-00753-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation