Abstract

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Paper
Modeling Groundwater Interactions Using Analytic Element Methods and LiDAR
Track: Water Resources
Author(s): Jennifer Johnson, Lanie Paquin

A distributed-parameter water budget for the Boise Valley, Idaho, yielded unexpected results along a specific reach of the Boise River during the non-irrigation season. A groundwater model was developed using a combination of analytic element methods (AEM) and LiDAR elevation data. The model objectives were to perform a more detailed analysis of the interactions between this reach and the underlying aquifer, to determine if the water budget calculations were plausible, and to better understand the role of canals and drains in the river-aquifer interaction. The AEM approach represents hydrologic features individually and therefore is capable of model results with high spatial resolution. To achieve this high level of resolution, however, AEM models generally require intensive input data development. The availability of LiDAR for the study area made it possible to more efficiently develop a geospatial database of hydrologic features and elevation values for model input.

Jennifer Johnson
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
River and Reservoir Operations
1150 N. Curtis Road, Ste. 100
Boise , ID 83706
US
Phone: 208-378-5166
E-mail: mpaquin@pn.usbr.gov

Lanie Paquin
US Bureau of Reclamation
GIS
1150 N. Curtis Road
Boise 83706-1234
US
Phone: 208-378-5166
E-mail: mpaquin@pn.usbr.gov