Estimation of Hydraulic conductivity and Specific storage of Shabestar Plain Aquifer Using Numerical model

Hydraulic conductivity and Specific storage are known as the most important hydraulic characteristics of aquifers. Recently, due to software advances, the use of numerical models in the operation of groundwater aquifers has expanded. Modeling is one of the best tools for studying and simulating the state of water resources. One of the advantages of modeling is the simultaneous determination of several parameters such as hydraulic head, flow path and etc. Likewise, via modeling, it is possible to simulate the reaction of the basin against changes such as natural or artificial recharge and the amount of pumping, and by applying appropriate solutions, determine the best performance of the system then use it to manage the basin. In the present study, MODFLOW numerical model and GMS user interface were utilized to simulate and calibrate the model. Accordingly, the hydrodynamic properties of the Shabestar plain aquifer were evaluated regionally. As a result, the RMSE values of hydraulic head for the steady-state and non-steady-state models were 0.59 (m) and 0.95 (m), respectively. The obtained results demonstrated that the more heterogeneous the aquifer, the more diverse the hydrodynamic coefficients will be, and this variation does not follow a specific trend due to the existence of geological formations, the density and the porosity of the formations.