A discrete kernel generator for stream‐aquifer studies

Abstract

A finite difference model of the behavior of an aquifer without stream interaction was developed as a first‐stage component of a management model of a stream‐aquifer system. The model is not built as a usual simulator but as a discrete impulse response generator. Once the basic response coefficients have been generated, the finite difference model is no longer necessary to simulate the behavior of the aquifer. Any aquifer response (e.g., return flow to a given reach for a given week) is expressed as an explicit function of the pumping rates. A complete description of the ‘discrete kernel generator’ is provided including the basic equations, truncation error propagation, accuracy, and run costs.