Hydrologic Modeling in a Small Mediterranean Basin as a Tool to Assess the Feasibility of a Limno-Reservoir

Abstract

The SWAT model was applied to the Ompólveda River Basin (Guadalajara, central Spain) to assess the hydrological feasibility of the Pareja Limno-reservoir. A limno-reservoir is a water management infrastructure designed to counteract some negative impacts caused by large reservoirs under Mediterranean climate. Highly detailed inputs were selected to set up the model. Its performance was evaluated by graphical and statistical techniques and compared with the previous knowledge of the basin. An overall good performance was obtained during the calibration and validation periods (monthly and annual NSE values of 0.67 and 0.60, respectively, for calibration and 0.70 and 0.83, respectively, for validation). Total discharge was well simulated, and flow components prediction was acceptable. However, the model is not accurate at predicting evapotranspiration. Once evaluated, the model was used to simulate the water discharge into the Pareja Limno-reservoir during 2008 and 2009, establishing a water balance and assessing its hydrologic feasibility. The water balance predicted the absence of surplus during summer (2008 and 2009) and autumn (2009), matching up with the decrease of water level and demonstrating the usefulness of SWAT as a tool to evaluate the hydrologic feasibility of the Pareja Limno-reservoir. Very low discharges from the Ompólveda River after a sequence of normal and dry years are the main factors responsible of this phenomenon, whereas the effect of the wastewater flow redirection in the Pareja village is negligible. These results question the usefulness of the Pareja Limno-reservoir during summer, the most favorable season for recreational activities.

A Comparison of SWAT and ANN Models for Daily Runoff Simulation in Different Climatic Zones of Peninsular Spain

“…The fitted values of these parameters reflect the contrasting climatic characteristics of the two basins. In HSRB, groundwater parameters (GWQMN, GW_DELAY, RCHRG_DP, ALPHA_BF and GW_REVAP) were significant, as expected in Mediterranean basins where the aquifers are relevant [41,56]. A high deep aquifer percolation fraction (RCHRG_DP) and very low delay time (GW_DELAY) for aquifer recharge reflect the highly permeable geology of HSRB.…”

“…Sensitivity analysis allowed us to calculate the rate of change in model output with respect to changes in model parameters [40] and thus we were able to identify the most influential parameters in governing streamflow [41]. The parameters were calibrated using the observed daily discharge; the process consists in adjusting them so that the daily simulations are as close as possible to the observations.…”

“…After performing a global sensitivity analysis, the most sensitive parameters were selected for each studied basin, which are shown and defined in Table 6. All the selected parameters were also selected as the most relevant in other research [23,26,41,55]. The fitted values of these parameters reflect the contrasting climatic characteristics of the two basins.…”

Using SWAT and Fuzzy TOPSIS to Assess the Impact of Climate Change in the Headwaters of the Segura River Basin (SE Spain)

“…The presence of several of these parameters showed the great importance of groundwater (ALPHA_BF, RCHRG_DP, GWQMN, and GW_REVAP) and lateral flow (LAT_TTIME) in this area, as is described in Conan et al [42] and Galván et al [43], where shallow aquifers have a relevant role. Some soil properties influence the opposition to the groundwater, and this justifies its presence as a sensible parameter, like SOL_AWC, SOL_K, and SOL_BD, usually listed in other studies [44]. In addition to these parameters, CN2 was considered due to its correlation with runoff production, affecting baseflow as well.…”

Taking advantage of a new hydraulic infrastructure to study the sediment yield in a small basin of central Spain

“…The upper basin is dominated by a high limestone plateau from the Upper Miocene and more erodible and older sedimentary lithology outcrops in the hillsides of the Ompólveda River and its tributaries (intercalations of clay, marls, silt, sand, sandstone, conglomerates, limestone and gypsum, until the Late Cretaceous). Regarding soil types 61.5% of the catchment is covered by entisols and 38.5% by alfisols (Molina-Navarro et al, 2014).…”