Regional scale groundwater flow and transport modelling: from conceptual challenges to pragmatic numerical solutions

National and international regulations require the management of groundwater resources at the regional scale, considering the physical limits of hydrogeological systems. Physically-based, spatially-distributed groundwater flow and transport models allow representing in a realistic and reliable way the dynamics of regional groundwater systems and processes and accounting for negative or positive feedbacks induced by a changed stress factors or particular measures set up in the basin such as increase in pumping, use of fertilizers or artificial recharge. Such models are complex and their development and implementation are challenging for several reasons related to numerical difficulties but also to data acquisition and management, conceptualization, calibration and validation.
Variably-saturated, regional flow and transport models have been developed using two finite element simulators SUFT3D and HydroGeoSphere specifically suited to regional-scale applications. A complex synthetic case has been used as a reference model to test the impact on predictions made and computing times of various conceptual and technical choices such as spatial and time discretization, simplified unsaturated laws or boundary conditions. Real cases have been developed for regional groundwater bodies (from 500 to 1700 km²) to deliver relevant information such as the estimation and evolution with time of groundwater reserves, under different stress conditions such as climate changes and for the evaluation of regional groundwater quality status and nitrate trend assessment under alternative management scenarios and mitigation measures. Results provide guidelines for the conceptualisation, the calibration and the use of regional-scale groundwater flow and transport models for decision making.