Sustainable Groundwater Management in a Two-Cell Aquifer Model

The design of optimal water policies between farmers, municipalities, and groundwater-dependent ecosystems is analyzed in a hydro-economic model with physical interactions between a confined aquifer and a shallow aquifer having a natural drainage. Based on the Pecos Basin case study, we analyze the optimal trajectories of the water tables and water allocation between users and environment flows for the ecosystems. We also explore the consequences for the ecosystem when the water agency uses a one-cell model thinking that it is a correct approximation of the two-cell model. Our results show the importance to consider hydraulic conductivities for the preservation of groundwater-dependent ecosystems.