Conjunctive use of surface water and groundwater with quality considerations

Abstract

Deterministic models of conjunctive surface and groundwater management aren’t much more complicated than typical groundwater-only management models under simple assumptions. However, when water quality problems exist, the fact that there are two alternative sources of water gains a new significance, as there is no guarantee that they will be of comparable quality. Thus the benefit from using one unit of surface water may not be the same as that of one unit of groundwater. This paper analyses the implications of considering a conjunctive ground and surface water system where water quality varies according to source, with and without uncertainty in hydrological parameters.