Optimal Management of Groundwater Resources of Coastal Aquifers

Groundwater aquifers are an important resource in coastal zones. In coastal areas that are densely populated or have been industrialized, often, serious environmental problems occur. Contaminants and nutrients which are carried by groundwater flow and discharged into coastal waters have a considerable influence on environmental management of coastal zones. Common problems include saltwater intrusion due to over-pumping of groundwater and brine discharges from desalination plants, as well as coastal water pollution by plume discharge from contaminated coastal aquifers. One of the most important and common pressure to groundwater in coastal zones is the intrusion of saltwater into the freshwater aquifer system and the exploitation of coastal aquifers is often limited due to excessive saltwater intrusion. Efficient management strategies are needed for optimal exploitation of water from coastal aquifers, while maintaining salt concentration under specified acceptable limit and simultaneously,
meeting the required demands.

The development of any sufficient meaningful management strategies requires development of management models that integrate the simulation of the saltwater intrusion process. Simulation of the saltwater intrusion into coastal aquifers can be a complex task. The location, shape and extent of the saltwater dispersion zone depend upon several factors including the scale, the shape or the structure of the aquifer, and the parameters such as hydraulic conductivity. Other influential factors are groundwater inflow from the upstream region, as well as groundwater withdrawals through pumping, and the tidal oscillation of the sea level.
The objective of this research is to provide a capable tool for optimal management of groundwater resources of coastal aquifers and verify and applied it for case studies.