Keywords
Groundwater Recharge
Geographic Information System (GIS)
Water Table Fluctuation (WTF) Method
Water Resource Management
Abstract
Estimating groundwater recharge is crucial for water resource management, groundwater modeling, and protection. Accurate recharge estimation helps determine the sustainable yield of aquifers, especially important in arid regions where recharge is highly variable. However, estimating groundwater recharge is difficult, especially in arid regions where it is highly variable spatially and temporally. The absence of accurate groundwater recharge estimations can lead to significant challenges in water resource management, agriculture, environment, economy, policy making, and climate change adaptation. Therefore, this case study in Brgy. Bannagao, Aurora, Isabela integrates the water-fluctuation method with GIS to estimate groundwater recharge. Historical rainfall and groundwater level data from June 2020 to May 2021 were analyzed to show the relationship between rainfall and groundwater levels. The volume of water fluctuation ranged from -500,733.61 m³, the lowest drop in water level of the aquifer, which occurred from January to February, a period with lower rainfall, to 218,046.85 m³, the highest amount of water recharged in October 2020, the month with the highest rainfall. Results indicate a significant correlation between rainfall and groundwater fluctuations, with GIS aiding in visualizing recharge and discharge volumes. The study concludes that GIS-integrated methods offer promising results for groundwater management. Recommendations include applying this method on a larger scale, increasing monitored tube wells, and incorporating water consumption data to improve accuracy.
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