Aquifer visualization for sustainable water management

The purpose of this paper is to develop a three dimensional (3D) geological model, based on geographic information system (GIS), of the Barwon Downs Graben aquifer system in Victoria, Australia, and to visualize the complex geometry as a decision support tool for sustainable water management.

A 3D visualization of the aquifer is completed, based on subsurface geological modelling. The existing borehole database, hydrogeological data, geological information and surface topography are used to model the subsurface aquifer. ArcGIS 9.2 is employed for two‐dimensional (2D) GIS analysis and for 3D visualization and modelling geological objects computer aided design (GOCAD) 2.5.2 is used. The developed methodology of ArcGIS and GOCAD is implemented for creating the 3D geological model of the aquifer system.

The 3D geomodel of the Barwon Downs Graben provides a new perspective of the complex subsurface aquifer geometry and its relation with surface hydrogeology in a more interactive manner. Considering the geometry, estimated volume of the unconfined Eastern View aquifer is as 0.83 × 10¹⁰ m³ and for the confined aquifer is about 1.02 × 10¹⁰ m³. The total volume of overlying strata of this aquifer is about 3.0⁹ × 10¹⁰ m³. The water resources of the study area are affected by the pumping from this aquifer. This is also significantly influenced by the geometry of the Graben.

The 3D model utilises comprehensive and generally available datasets in the public domain. Although the used 3D geomodelling tools are mainly developed for applications in the petroleum industry, the current paper shows its ability to be adapted to hydrogeological investigations.