Use of Hydrologic Budget and Chemical Data for Ground-Water Assessment

Abstract

This paper uses a hydrologic budget method and partial chemical data to evaluate the availability of ground water for irrigation supply in a humid region through a case study of the Saginaw Bay basin, Mich. Concentrations of chloride are used to evaluate the quality of ground water for irrigation. The results indicate that ground water does not appear to be a reliable source for regional irrigation supply in the study area. The case study demonstrates that the integration of a hydrologic budget and water quality data is an effective approach in the analysis of the limit of ground water for irrigation development in humid regions when intensive hydrogeologic monitoring and modeling are unaffordable.