Integration of modelling, monitoring and optimisation technologies for real-time management of groundwater resources

Due to the steadily increasing pressure on the water resources worldwide there is an emergent need to develop techniques that optimise the exploitable water resources, while protecting it from contamination and preventing over-use. The project addresses the problem of operation and management of the groundwater resources at well-fields. By optimising water withdrawal and pump scheduling economic benefits in terms of reduced operation and maintenance costs as well as environmental benefits and improved water quality can be achieved. The project aims at establishing a knowledge base and developing methodologies and prototype hardware and software technology for real-time optimisation and control that allows for adaptive and interactive management of the groundwater resources at well-fields. The developments include combination of advanced numerical hydrological and hydraulic simulation models and stochastic models of the water flow processes in the well-field with optimisation techniques for on-line, optimal control of pump scheduling and water withdrawal. In addition, real-time, on-line monitoring data are integrated with the modelling system using data assimilation to continuously update the model description and control system. A geochemical sensor array is developed to monitor cation concentrations in the ground¬water for providing real-time water quality measures, thereby allowing the control system to react on water quality changes. The developed optimisation and control system is implemented with modular pump controls and integrated with a data management and decision support system. Prototypes of the developed techniques, software and hardware tools are demonstrated and tested on a selected well-field.