Methods and computer programs to improve pathline resolution near weak sinks representing wells in MODFLOW and MODPATH ground-water-flow simulations

This paper discusses a method for overcoming the problem of weak sinks representing wells that result from spatial discretization effects when using MODPATH, the particle-tracking postprocessor for the ground water flow model MODFLOW. Weak sink cells are model cells that represent a well that does not discharge at a sufficiently large rate to capture all of the flow entering the cell; therefore, flowpaths within these cells cannot be uniquely defined because it is impossible to know whether a given water particle discharges to the well or passes through the cell. Creating a submodel of the well cell by using the nested rediscretization method can eliminate this ambiguity by converting the weak sink cell into a strong sink cell. The method is designed to be run manually for each well and for steady-state conditions. Other advantages, disadvantages, technical considerations, and limitations of the method are presented. Software created for the method consists of five Fortran programs that are operated using a set of instructions. A practical application of the method is presented by using an example wellhead-protection problem that demonstrates that nested rediscretization can provide more accurate particle-tracking results than those obtained by using a coarsely discretized model alone.

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Methods and computer programs to improve pathline resolution near weak sinks representing wells in MODFLOW and MODPATH ground-water-flow simulations

Cited by 3 publications

References 3 publications

Comparison of particle-tracking and lumped-parameter age-distribution models for evaluating vulnerability of production wells to contamination

Comparison of particle-tracking and lumped-parameter age-distribution models for evaluating vulnerability of production wells to contamination

Combining particle-tracking and geochemical data to assess public supply well vulnerability to arsenic and uranium

A Nested Rediscretization Method to Improve Pathline Resolution by Eliminating Weak Sinks Representing Wells

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