This project aims at analyzing and evaluating the groundwater recharge potential of the Salmon River Watershed, in relation to the following four factors: land use, soil type, slope and drainage density.
Water infiltration rates vary, depending on the different conditions of the four factors. Steep slopes for example, have a low infiltration capacity due to a low retention time, which means that stormwater would be directly converted to runoff and diverted to flat areas where it gets infiltrated at higher rates through the soil. Additionally, areas with low drainage densities have a lower groundwater recharge potential than areas with a higher drainage density.
Moreover, Agricultural and Urban developments impact soil characteristics, by soil compaction and an increase in impervious surfaces, which reduced water infiltration and increases runoff. This would highly disrupt the natural water pathways. Lastly, soil texture has a major impact of groundwater recharge potential, the coarser the soil texture the higher the infiltration rate and the higher the contribution to Groundwater recharge.
Finally, a groundwater potential map was developed using the previously mentioned datasets. This was done by conducting weighted overlay analysis, using assigned weights based on the degree of influence of each factor.
Keywords: Groundwater potential, infiltration rates, influencing factors, weighting overlay analysis, watershed
Project Members:
Kamal Kakish
85495166
Abia Katimbo
92184167