Effect of Irrigation Pumping on the Ground-Water System in Newton and Jasper Counties, Indiana

摘要

Flow in the ground-water system in Newton and Jasper Counties, Indiana, was simulated in a quasi-three-dimensional model in a study of irrigation use of ground water in the two counties. The ground-water system consists of three aquifers. Irrigation pumpage, primarily from the bedrock aquifer, was estimated to be 34.8 million gallons per day during peak irrigation in 1977. Acreage irrigated with ground water is estimated to be 6,200 acres. A series of model experiments were used to estimate the effect of increased irrigation on ground-water levels and streamflow. Model analysis indicates that major factors controlling drawdown caused by pumping in the bedrock aquifer are the variations in thickness and in vertical hydraulic conductivity in a semiconfining unit overlying the bedrock.