Insights on modelling of karstic aquifers: a new methodology for the integration of fracture data in groundwater flow modelling

Groundwater resources have been extensively exploited in many areas around the globe for providing good quality water for drinking and other purposes. Groundwater flow models have been widely used as management, evaluation and prediction tools on many occasions, however, in the case of karstic aquifers, the use of modelling tools is often a task with increased complexity. In the light of this constrain, a new methodology for implementing field data into mathematical models developed for simulating flow in karstic aquifers is presented. The aim is to combine an existing groundwater flow model, field data and the MODFLOW CFP code to develop a model that adequately simulates the hydrological processes in the karstic aquifer. Results show that MODFLOW CFP can be used to model areas where karstic aquifers are developed, providing decisive information about hydrological processes taking place in these aquifers.