Master thesis

Paula Andrea Zapata Jaramillo (2015)
Site selection for the implementation of management aquifer recharge (MAR) in Machuca River basin, Costa Rica. Master thesis, Technische Universität Dresden, November 2015

Abstract

Geographical Information System (GIS) are a powerful tool to analyze water resources and hydrogeological conditions. Management aquifer recharge (MAR) has proven to be an effective response to water scarcity problems that involves the intentional recharge, storage and treatment of water aquifers, generating different kind of quantitative and qualitative benefits. In the present study, GIS was used to identify suitable sites for MAR implementation in Machuca River basin of Costa Rica. The information collected comes from different sources: survey data (from official institutes), official cartography and one satellite image. This information was processed and transformed in seven rasters layers: geology, slope, soil texture, land cover, lineament density, drainage density and depth to groundwater level. The attributes or values for each of the seven rasters layer were classified in categories (good, acceptable and poor) according to its suitability to favored groundwater recharge. These classified maps were then weighed following the multi-influencing factor (MIF) method and finally overlayed in order to obtain the suitability map for the following MAR types: a) Spreading methods, b) Well, shaft, dam, borehole recharge and c) Riverbank filtration & In- channel modifications.