Research Summary — Streamflow depletion from groundwater pumping in contrasting hydrogeological landscapes: Evaluation and sensitivity of a new management tool

With funding from the Province of BC, NSERC, UVic, and Foundry Spatial, this 2020 study, Streamflow depletion from groundwater pumping in contrasting hydrogeological landscapes: Evaluation and sensitivity of a new management tool, provides the first comparison of analytical depletion functions (ADFs) against calibrated numerical models. Conducted in various hydrologic settings across British Columbia, the study looked at comparing existing numerical models with ADFs for estimating streamflow depletion. In some cases, it was found that the numerical models had been calibrated in such a way that they were not useful for estimating streamflow depletion. In other cases, where the numerical models were able to provide estimates of streamflow depletion, the results were comparable to those produced by the ADFs. As such, authors Qiang Li, Samuel C. Zipper, and Tom Gleeson conclude that ADFs, combined with local hydrogeological knowledge, can be a useful tool.