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Understanding the recharge–discharge system of a catchment is key to the efficient use and effective management of groundwater resources. The present study focused on the estimation of groundwater recharge using Soil Moisture Balance (SMB) and Baseflow Separation (BFS) methods in the Gilgel Gibe catchment where water demand for irrigation, domestic, and industrial purposes is dramatically increasing. The demand for groundwater and the existing ambitious plans to respond to this demand will put a strain on the groundwater resource in the catchment unless prompt intervention is undertaken to ensure its sustainability. Ground-based hydrometeorological 36-years data (1985 to 2020) from 17 stations and satellite products from CHIRPS and NASA/POWER were used for the SMB method. Six BFS methods were applied through the Web-based Hydrograph Analysis Tool (WHAT), SepHydro, BFLOW, and Automated Computer Programming (PART) to sub-catchments and the main catchment to estimate the groundwater recharge. The streamflow data (discharge) obtained from the Ministry of Water and Energy were the main input data for the BFS methods. The average annual recharge of groundwater was estimated to be 313 mm using SMB for the years 1985 to 2020 and 314 mm using BFS for the years 1986 to 2003. The results from the SMB method revealed geographical heterogeneity in annual groundwater recharge, varying from 209 to 442 mm. Significant spatial variation is also observed in the estimated annual groundwater recharge using the BFS methods, which varies from 181 to 411 mm for sub-catchments. Hydrogeological conditions of the catchment were observed, and the yielding capacity of existing wells was assessed to evaluate the validity of the results. The recharge values estimated using SMB and BFS methods are comparable and hydrologically reasonable. The findings remarkably provide insightful information for decision-makers to develop effective groundwater management strategies and to prioritize the sub-catchments for immediate intervention to ensure the sustainability of groundwater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the European TOPSOIL project, countries around the North Sea are searching for solutions for climate related threats. They explore the possibilities of using the topsoil layer to solve current and future water challenges. The main objective is to improve the climate resilience of the water management of the topsoil and shallow aquifers in the North Sea region. TOPSOIL is supported by the Interreg VB North Sea Region program in line with priority 3 of the program: ‘Sustainable North Sea Region, protecting against climate change and preserving the environment’. The Belgian part of this project, called FRESHEM for GO-FRESH Vlaanderen (‘FREsh Salt groundwater distribution by Helicopter ElectroMagnetic survey for Geohydrological Opportunities FRESH water supply’), focuses on mapping the salinity distribution of groundwater using airborne electromagnetics and aims to look into a number of measures that could increase the availability of freshwater for agriculture in the polder area. Two pilot projects will evaluate the possibilities for freshwater storage and aims to specify what measures can be taken to achieve this. Together with the other water users and water managers, The Flanders Environment Agency wants to prepare a plan for the realization of one or more pilot projects that can improve the availability of freshwater.

The water budget myth, which is the idea that safe pumping must not exceed the initial recharge, gave rise to a controversy about the role of recharge in assessing the sustainability of groundwater development. To refute the concept of safe yield, a simplified water budget equation is used, which equals the total pumping rate to the sum of capture and storage change. Since initial recharge and discharge are canceled out from this equation, it is concluded that sustainable pumping has nothing to do with recharge. Investigating the assumptions underlying this equation, it is seen that it expresses the superposition principle, which implicitly assumes the groundwater reservoir can be depleted indefinitely and boundary conditions are an infinite source of water. To evaluate sustainability, however, the limits of the aquifer system must be examined accurately. Theoretically, this can only be accomplished applying nonlinear models, in which case setting up the simplified water budget equation is impossible without knowing the initial conditions. Hence, excluding recharge when assessing sustainable pumping may not be done inconsiderately, which is illustrated by two examples. An analytical solution, developed by Ernst in 1971 to simulate flow to a well in a polder area with a nonlinear function for drainage, even shows that it is not necessarily a misconception to assume the cone of depression stops expanding when the pumping rate is balanced by the infiltration rate. Article impact statement: Recharge may be an important parameter in assessing the sustainability of groundwater development in nonlinearly responding systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]