The Model Maintenance program, in cooperation with the N.J. Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), archives, maintains, updates, and shares groundwater-flow models that have been developed by the New Jersey Water Science Center (NJWSC). The program was started in 1995 to maintain existing groundwater flow models, use standardized procedures to archive the models, update models with recent data and analytical techniques, and re-evaluate the data network design of each model.
Since 1975, 36 groundwater-flow models that simulate confined and unconfined conditions in various aquifer types present in New Jersey-- including fractured rock, Coastal Plain, and glacial aquifers-- have been developed and are documented by USGS publications. Of these, 28 models are currently archived shown in figures 1A and 1B. Twelve non-archived models are listed on the Web pages. These models typically are older models with little to no computer files or models with a limited extent. For these models, a link to the published report on the USGS publication warehouse website is available.
The existing models in the N.J. Water Science Center have been archived to a central location and are available to the public. Care has been taken to standardize each model and to update and revise models when needed. As of 2016, model archives must conform with the USGS Open data Policy and must be formally distributed online to the public as a USGS data release concurrent with the information product that describes the model.
The NJ Coastal Plain RASA (Regional Aquifer System Analysis) model simulates groundwater flow in the confined aquifers of the New Jersey Coastal Plain and is one of the most widely used models by hydrologists in the NJWSC (Martin, 1998). The model was updated in the late 1990’s to include water use from 1981 through 1998, rediscritized to a finer cell size, and modified to include spatially variable recharge rates based on recent studies (Voronin, 2004). The RASA model is currently being revised to incorporate a Soil Water Balance (Westenbroek and others, 2010) recharge package and update withdrawals to 2013 values. Current work on the RASA model includes extending the model into Delaware to better understand the effects of withdrawals in Delaware on the flow system.
Simulations using the RASA model have provided a detailed understanding of groundwater flow and sources of water to wells in the Wenonah-Mount Laurel aquifer in and around the Deptford Township, Gloucester County (Watt and Voronin, 2006). The RASA model also was used to provide information to the NJDEP for the Water Supply Master Plan. Scenarios were run that evaluated the effects of increased withdrawals on water levels and water budgets within planning areas based on future population estimates (Gordon, 2007). An optimization module, GWM (Ahlfield and others, 2005), which is part of the MODFLOW program, was used to evaluate how and where increased withdrawals would affect water levels within Critical Area 1 (Spitz and others, 2007). The graph in figure 2 shows that as more drawdown is allowed in the system, the amount of available withdrawal increases. The curves on the graph are for two different well configurations—the current well locations and regularly spaced well locations.
The groundwater-flow models can be used to address many water-resources issues. One groundwater-flow model developed by the USGS in the Pennsauken Township area in Camden County was used to delineate contributing areas to the Puchack well field. The contributing areas to this major well field, shown in figure 3, was determined by using particle-tracking analysis that calculates the travel times of water to wells (Pope and Watt, 2005). Other models have been used to address saltwater intrusion or base-flow depletion. The Camden model was used to evaluate the vulnerability of production wells in the Potomac-Raritan-Magothy aquifer to saltwater intrusion from the Delaware River in Camden, Salem, and Gloucester Counties under different drought conditions (Navoy and others, 2005). Particle tracking was used to delineate the contributing area for production wells and determine time-of-travel for saltwater intrusion. Several archived models describe and characterize the unconfined aquifer system, as well as the confined aquifer systems, and its interaction with the surface-water system in response to increased withdrawals. For example, the Great Egg Harbor and Mullica River Basins model (Pope and others, 2012) evaluated the effects of groundwater withdrawals on water levels and on base-flow depletion.
Conclusions
Since the Model Maintenance program was started, the existing models in the NJWSC have been archived to a central location and have been made available to the public. Care has been taken to standardize each model and to update and revise models when needed. Many of the models have been used to address issues regarding a variety of public supply issues throughout the State. Periodically, the models are evaluated to see what updates or revisions might more fully benefit water managers. This way the models that were developed for a single project may be used multiple times providing manager with efficient use of the models at reduced cost. As more models are completed in the NJWSC, the standardized method of archiving and releasing these models to the public makes them a valuable resource. The continuing use of the models provides important data in guiding future water-supply issues.
List of Archived Models (available under Related Science)
Link to Information on Non-Archived Models
Information on Archived Models --
Below is a list of archived models that can be obtained one of two ways. Older models are requested through the New Jersey Water Science Center. A link will then be sent to you for download. Newer models, listed in the second column below with Scientific Investigation reports and data releases, can be downloaded directly from a USGS digital repository.
Southern New Jersey Models (Coastal Plain)
| Model ID | Model Name | Associated Information |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Regional RASA | Professional Paper and Model |
| 2 | RASA - NJ | Professional Paper and Model |
| 3 | NJCP Sharp (Coastal Plain) | Water-Resources Investigation and Model |
| 4 | Cape May - Sharp | Water-Supply Paper and Model |
| 5 | Cape May - 800-foot Sand | Water-Resources Investigation and Model |
| 6 | Toms River and Metedeconk River | Water-Resources Investigation and Model |
| 7 | Rancocas River basin | Water-Resources Investigation and Model |
| 8 | Camden | NJ Geological Survey Report 38 and Model |
| 9 | Atlantic City | NJ Geological Survey Report 38 and Model |
| 10 | South River | NJ Geological Survey Report 38 and Model |
| 11 | Upper Maurice River Basin | Scientific Investigation Report and Model |
| 12 | RASA98 | Water-Resources Investigation and Model |
| 13 | Pennsauken | Scientific Investigation Report and Model |
| 14 | Cape May - Shallow and Deep | Scientific Investigation Report and Data Release |
| 15 and G | Groundwater Mounding | Scientific Investigation Report and Model |
| 16 | Salem - Gloucester | Scientific Investigation Report and Model |
| 17 | Great Egg - Mullica | Scientific Investigation Report and Data Release |
| 18 | Southern Ocean | Scientific Investigation Report and Data Release |
| 19 | Cumberland County - Temporarily Unavailable | Scientific Investigation Report |
| 20 | Forsythe | Scientific Investigation Report and Data Release |
| 21 | Sandy Hook | Scientific Investigation Report and Data Release |
| 22 | Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst | Open File Report and Data Release |
Northern New Jersey Models (Fractured Rock and Valley Fill)
| Model ID | Model Number | Associated Information |
|---|---|---|
| A | Rockaway | Water-Resources Investigation and Model |
| B | Lamington | Water-Resources Investigation and Model |
| C | Picatinny | Water-Resources Investigation and Model |
| D | APPL-RASA | Water-Resources Investigation |
| E | Fair Lawn | Scientific Investigation Report and Model |
| F | NAWC | Two Scientific Investigation Reports and Models |
| G and 15 | Groundwater Mounding | Scientific Investigation Report and Model |
NOTE: Model ID 1, 15, and G are not on Figure 1A.
The Model Maintenance program was started in 1995 to maintain and update groundwater-flow models designed to use standardized procedures to archive the models, update models with recent data and analytical techniques, and re-evaluate data network design.
Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehust
Forsythe
Cumberland County and vicinity
Non-Archived Models
Regional RASA
RASA - NJ
NJCP Sharp (Coastal Plain optimization)
APPL-RASA
Toms River and Metedeconk River
Cape May-SHARP
Cape May 800-foot Sand
Rancocas River Basin
- Overview
The Model Maintenance program, in cooperation with the N.J. Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), archives, maintains, updates, and shares groundwater-flow models that have been developed by the New Jersey Water Science Center (NJWSC). The program was started in 1995 to maintain existing groundwater flow models, use standardized procedures to archive the models, update models with recent data and analytical techniques, and re-evaluate the data network design of each model.
Since 1975, 36 groundwater-flow models that simulate confined and unconfined conditions in various aquifer types present in New Jersey-- including fractured rock, Coastal Plain, and glacial aquifers-- have been developed and are documented by USGS publications. Of these, 28 models are currently archived shown in figures 1A and 1B. Twelve non-archived models are listed on the Web pages. These models typically are older models with little to no computer files or models with a limited extent. For these models, a link to the published report on the USGS publication warehouse website is available.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Figure 1A.. Map showing the locations of archived groundwater-flow models in New Jersey and Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain..
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Figure 1B. Map showing location of archived Groundwater-flow model in New Jersey developed by using the USGS ModFlow6 code. The existing models in the N.J. Water Science Center have been archived to a central location and are available to the public. Care has been taken to standardize each model and to update and revise models when needed. As of 2016, model archives must conform with the USGS Open data Policy and must be formally distributed online to the public as a USGS data release concurrent with the information product that describes the model.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Figure 2. Trade-off curves in Upper and Middle Potomac-Raritan-Magothy aquifers for current (2003) and regularly spaced well locations in Critical Area 1, east central New Jersey(Public domain.) The NJ Coastal Plain RASA (Regional Aquifer System Analysis) model simulates groundwater flow in the confined aquifers of the New Jersey Coastal Plain and is one of the most widely used models by hydrologists in the NJWSC (Martin, 1998). The model was updated in the late 1990’s to include water use from 1981 through 1998, rediscritized to a finer cell size, and modified to include spatially variable recharge rates based on recent studies (Voronin, 2004). The RASA model is currently being revised to incorporate a Soil Water Balance (Westenbroek and others, 2010) recharge package and update withdrawals to 2013 values. Current work on the RASA model includes extending the model into Delaware to better understand the effects of withdrawals in Delaware on the flow system.
Simulations using the RASA model have provided a detailed understanding of groundwater flow and sources of water to wells in the Wenonah-Mount Laurel aquifer in and around the Deptford Township, Gloucester County (Watt and Voronin, 2006). The RASA model also was used to provide information to the NJDEP for the Water Supply Master Plan. Scenarios were run that evaluated the effects of increased withdrawals on water levels and water budgets within planning areas based on future population estimates (Gordon, 2007). An optimization module, GWM (Ahlfield and others, 2005), which is part of the MODFLOW program, was used to evaluate how and where increased withdrawals would affect water levels within Critical Area 1 (Spitz and others, 2007). The graph in figure 2 shows that as more drawdown is allowed in the system, the amount of available withdrawal increases. The curves on the graph are for two different well configurations—the current well locations and regularly spaced well locations.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Figure 3. Simulated contributing area to individual wells in the Puchack well field, Pennsauken Township and vicinity, New Jersey.(Public domain.) The groundwater-flow models can be used to address many water-resources issues. One groundwater-flow model developed by the USGS in the Pennsauken Township area in Camden County was used to delineate contributing areas to the Puchack well field. The contributing areas to this major well field, shown in figure 3, was determined by using particle-tracking analysis that calculates the travel times of water to wells (Pope and Watt, 2005). Other models have been used to address saltwater intrusion or base-flow depletion. The Camden model was used to evaluate the vulnerability of production wells in the Potomac-Raritan-Magothy aquifer to saltwater intrusion from the Delaware River in Camden, Salem, and Gloucester Counties under different drought conditions (Navoy and others, 2005). Particle tracking was used to delineate the contributing area for production wells and determine time-of-travel for saltwater intrusion. Several archived models describe and characterize the unconfined aquifer system, as well as the confined aquifer systems, and its interaction with the surface-water system in response to increased withdrawals. For example, the Great Egg Harbor and Mullica River Basins model (Pope and others, 2012) evaluated the effects of groundwater withdrawals on water levels and on base-flow depletion.
Conclusions
Since the Model Maintenance program was started, the existing models in the NJWSC have been archived to a central location and have been made available to the public. Care has been taken to standardize each model and to update and revise models when needed. Many of the models have been used to address issues regarding a variety of public supply issues throughout the State. Periodically, the models are evaluated to see what updates or revisions might more fully benefit water managers. This way the models that were developed for a single project may be used multiple times providing manager with efficient use of the models at reduced cost. As more models are completed in the NJWSC, the standardized method of archiving and releasing these models to the public makes them a valuable resource. The continuing use of the models provides important data in guiding future water-supply issues.
List of Archived Models (available under Related Science)
Link to Information on Non-Archived Models
Information on Archived Models --
Below is a list of archived models that can be obtained one of two ways. Older models are requested through the New Jersey Water Science Center. A link will then be sent to you for download. Newer models, listed in the second column below with Scientific Investigation reports and data releases, can be downloaded directly from a USGS digital repository.
Southern New Jersey Models (Coastal Plain)
Model ID Model Name Associated Information 1 Regional RASA Professional Paper and Model 2 RASA - NJ Professional Paper and Model 3 NJCP Sharp (Coastal Plain) Water-Resources Investigation and Model 4 Cape May - Sharp Water-Supply Paper and Model 5 Cape May - 800-foot Sand Water-Resources Investigation and Model 6 Toms River and Metedeconk River Water-Resources Investigation and Model 7 Rancocas River basin Water-Resources Investigation and Model 8 Camden NJ Geological Survey Report 38 and Model 9 Atlantic City NJ Geological Survey Report 38 and Model 10 South River NJ Geological Survey Report 38 and Model 11 Upper Maurice River Basin Scientific Investigation Report and Model 12 RASA98 Water-Resources Investigation and Model 13 Pennsauken Scientific Investigation Report and Model 14 Cape May - Shallow and Deep Scientific Investigation Report and Data Release 15 and G Groundwater Mounding Scientific Investigation Report and Model 16 Salem - Gloucester Scientific Investigation Report and Model 17 Great Egg - Mullica Scientific Investigation Report and Data Release 18 Southern Ocean Scientific Investigation Report and Data Release 19 Cumberland County - Temporarily Unavailable Scientific Investigation Report 20 Forsythe Scientific Investigation Report and Data Release 21 Sandy Hook Scientific Investigation Report and Data Release 22 Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Open File Report and Data Release Northern New Jersey Models (Fractured Rock and Valley Fill)
Model ID Model Number Associated Information A Rockaway Water-Resources Investigation and Model B Lamington Water-Resources Investigation and Model C Picatinny Water-Resources Investigation and Model D APPL-RASA Water-Resources Investigation E Fair Lawn Scientific Investigation Report and Model F NAWC Two Scientific Investigation Reports and Models G and 15 Groundwater Mounding Scientific Investigation Report and Model NOTE: Model ID 1, 15, and G are not on Figure 1A.
- Science
The Model Maintenance program was started in 1995 to maintain and update groundwater-flow models designed to use standardized procedures to archive the models, update models with recent data and analytical techniques, and re-evaluate data network design.
Filter Total Items: 29Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehust
Simulation of Regional Groundwater Flow and Advective Transport of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst and Vicinity, New Jersey, 2018Forsythe
Hydrogeology of, Simulation of Groundwater Flow in, and Potential Effects of Sea-Level Rise on the Kirkwood-Cohansey Aquifer System in the Vicinity of Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, New JerseyCumberland County and vicinity
Simulated Effects of Groundwater Withdrawals from the Kirkwood-Cohansey Aquifer System and Piney Point Aquifer, Maurice and Cohansey River Basins, Cumberland County and vicinity, New JerseyNon-Archived Models
Non-archived models are typically older models with little to no computer files or models with a limited extent. For these models, a link to the published report on the USGS publication warehouse website is available.Regional RASA
Geohydrology and Simulation of Groundwater Flow in the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain Aquifer SystemRASA - NJ
Groundwater Flow in the New Jersey Coastal Plain (Model grid rediscretized and updated with 1998 pumpage data--See RASA98)NJCP Sharp (Coastal Plain optimization)
Simulation of Groundwater Flow and Movement of the Freshwater/Saltwater Interface in the New Jersey Coastal Plain through 1896 and from 1896-1988 and 1988-2040APPL-RASA
Hydrogeology and Groundwater Flow, Fractured Mesozoic Structural-Basin Rocks, Stony Brook, Beden Brook, and Jacobs Creek Drainage Basins, West Central New JerseyToms River and Metedeconk River
Simulation of Groundwater Flow in the Unconfined Aquifer System of the Toms River, Metedeconk River, and Kettle Creek BasinsCape May-SHARP
Analysis of Groundwater Flow and Saltwater Encroachment in the Shallow Aquifer System of Cape May County, New JerseyCape May 800-foot Sand
Evaluation of Saltwater Intrusion and Travel Time in the Atlantic City 800-Foot SandRancocas River Basin
Simulated Effects of Alternative Withdrawal Strategies on Groundwater-Flow Patterns, New Jersey Pinelands - Publications
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