Regional water balance modelling to evaluate future groundwater management

Sustainable management of regional groundwater resources needs to address both the needs of agricultural practice and environmental protection under the impact of climate change. To create an evaluation tool to assess sustainable groundwater extraction for irrigation purposes, the local water management authority (Wasserwirtschaftsamt Aschaffenburg) initiated a regional water balance model comprising a coupled soil water and groundwater flow model. The impact of climate variability and anthropogenic parameters such as groundwater abstraction, irrigation and cultivation practice were simulated. The model led to enhanced knowledge on the regional hydrogeology, relevant system processes and provides consolidated findings about the key drivers of sustainable water balance in the modelled region. The sensitivity of groundwater levels and the (soil)water budget was evaluated in various climate and management scenarios. The results support the authorities in providing a framework for sustainable water management.