Simulation of ground-water level fluctuations using recharge estimated by field infiltrometer measurements

An infiltrometer was used at multiple locations at a site in Lee County, Fl. to define the spatial variability in infiltration parameters. Water-level data from a well at this site were collected hourly and used to determine the temporal variability in recharge. These results were used to define recharge in a representative stochastic numerical model of the aquifer. Model results without recharge compare well with existing analytical solutions for spatial head variability. Simulations with representative recharge events indicate that recharge produces a significant to dominant effect on head variability, which creates dispersion of contaminants, and that small-scale spatial and temporal recharge variations are the predominant mechanism causing the head variations.