Wu et al. (2026) Conjunctive-Use Frameworks Driven by Surface Water Operations: Integrating Concentrated and Distributed Strategies for Groundwater Recharge and Extraction

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Water
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-01-05
• Authors: C. W. Wu, Frederick N.-F. Chou, Yu-Wen Chen
• DOI: 10.3390/w18010130

Research Groups

Not specified in the provided text.

Short Summary

This study develops a conjunctive-use framework coupling a surface water allocation model with MODFLOW to evaluate surface water operations and groundwater interactions, demonstrating its effectiveness in reducing irrigation deficits, raising groundwater levels by up to 3.5 m, and enhancing drought resilience in Taiwan.

Objective

• To develop and apply a conjunctive-use framework that iteratively couples a surface water allocation model with the MODFLOW groundwater model to evaluate and enable coordinated surface–groundwater management, specifically examining three managed aquifer recharge (MAR) cases in Taiwan.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Regional scale, focusing on three representative managed aquifer recharge cases in Taiwan.
• Temporal Scale: Implied long-term management, encompassing wet and dry seasons, flood events, and prolonged drought periods.

Methodology and Data

• Models used:
  • MODFLOW groundwater model
  • Surface water allocation model (developed as part of the coupled framework)
• Data sources: Not explicitly detailed, but implied to be hydrological, operational, and geological data relevant to the Taiwan study sites.

Main Results

• Downstream irrigation deficit ratios were significantly reduced (e.g., from 0.58 to 0.22).
• Groundwater levels increased by up to approximately 3.5 m in subsidence-sensitive zones.
• Drought resilience was substantially enhanced by reducing extreme reservoir depletion during prolonged dry periods.
• The framework provides quantitative evidence and a practical planning tool for surface water-oriented conjunctive use.

Contributions

• Development of a novel conjunctive-use framework that iteratively couples surface water allocation with a groundwater model (MODFLOW) for coordinated management.
• Demonstration of the framework's practical application and effectiveness through three distinct managed aquifer recharge (MAR) strategies in Taiwan.
• Quantification of benefits in terms of reduced irrigation deficits, increased groundwater levels, and enhanced drought resilience.
• Provision of a practical planning tool for sustainable and resilient multi-source water management.

Funding

Not specified in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Wu2026ConjunctiveUse,
  author = {Wu, C. W. and Chou, Frederick N.-F. and Chen, Yu-Wen},
  title = {Conjunctive-Use Frameworks Driven by Surface Water Operations: Integrating Concentrated and Distributed Strategies for Groundwater Recharge and Extraction},
  journal = {Water},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.3390/w18010130},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/w18010130}
}