Thesis
Exploration, modeling and management of groundwater resources in northern Quintana Roo, Mexico
Charvet, G.
Record Number:
5732
Year:
2009
Pages:
123 pages
University:
Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation Technical University of Denmark.
Abstract:
Urban, industrial and touristic development exerts an increasing pressure on the
ecosystems and groundwater resources of the Yucatan peninsula, Mexico. The northern
area of Quintana Roo is particularly vulnerable since it has the highest development rate
in the region. The highly heterogeneous karstic aquifer of the area consists of a shallow
freshwater lens floating on top of saline water and represents the only source of drinking
water. Groundwater flows partly through the fractured limestone and partly via extensive
underground caves. Despite this high complexity, numerical modeling appears to be a
useful tool in order to help decision making to ensure the protection of the aquifer. An
equivalent porous medium model of the Yucatan peninsula has been built by means of
MODFLOW in order to get a quantitative understanding of the hydraulic heads
distribution and the flow patterns. A second similar model has been implemented for the
northern part of Quintana Roo. The latter aims at determining the influence of the wells
supplying drinking water to the city of Cancun. Their protection zones were
stochastically delineated by means of Monte Carlo methods. The numerical models have
been calibrated using water table elevations measured in the field. The results show the
influence of the important differences in the calibrated hydraulic conductivities defined
for the different geological formations. The groundwater flow pattern of the peninsula is
strongly influenced by the high permeability features inside which water flows rapidly
along long distances. This demonstrates the necessity of establishing groundwater
management strategies at the scale of the peninsula. The delineated well capture zones
present extended areas. Their shapes are affected by the presence of the Holbox fracture
zone. Considering the high velocities in the aquifer, restrictive measures should be taken
in order to reduce the risks of pollutant release in these areas. The different outcomes of
this study have to be confirmed and detailed but propose already valuable inputs for the
establishment of groundwater management strategies.
Times Cited:
2