Hodasová K., Krčmář D. & Panák D., 2022: The use of modelling to assess the interaction of surface water and groundwater in the area of Sihoť in Bratislava. Acta Geologica Slovaca, 14, 1, 15–24.

The use of modelling to assess the interaction of surface water and groundwater in the area of Sihoť in Bratislava

Kamila Hodasová¹, David Krčmář¹ & Daniel Panák²

¹Department of Engineering Geology, Hydrogeology and Applied Geophysics, Comenius University in Bratislava, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Ilkovičova 6, 842 15 Bratislava, Slovakia; hodasova11@uniba.sk, david.krcmar@uniba.sk
²Bratislavská vodárenská spoločnosť, a. s., Prešovská 48, 826 46 Bratislava, Slovakia; daniel.panak@bvsas.sk

Abstract

The assessment of groundwater and surface water interactions is a current topic, because research of the issue can contribute to a better understanding of the dynamics of the natural environment. Numerical modelling is a suitable tool for solving surface and groundwater interactions. Through modelling, it is possible to simulate the ongoing processes in the area under study and create a hydraulic and heat transport model. The Sihoť Water Source was chosen as the area of study because it is an anthropogenically unaffected locality. During the compilation of the model and later in the calibration process, data on the temperature and level of the groundwater table and Danube water were used, which were available thanks to the monitoring that took place at the site. In the calibration process, the sensitivity of the parameters determined by calibration was also examined. During calibration and sensitivity analysis, the hydraulic conductivity was further investigated using so-called pilot points that had been entered into the model. The accuracy of the model was verified by automatic calibration using the PEST program, while the average error value was 0.21 m for the hydraulic model and 1.04°C for the transport model. The knowledge and methodological procedures gained by examining the issue can be applied in many other cases, such as water quality analysis, assessment of the vulnerability of the groundwater and surface water regime, or in assessing the impact of extreme precipitation and other factors.

Key words: surface and groundwater interaction, temperature, groundwater table level depth, modelling, transport and hydraulic model

Manuscript received: 2021-12-02

Revised version accepted: 2022-04-01