Episodic Groundwater Recharge Around Extreme Climatic Conditions in Beaufort West

Due to its location in a dry and arid part of South Africa, Beaufort West relies on groundwater as a crucial source of freshwater for the town. Although there have been fluctuations over the years, groundwater levels in the area have progressively dropped due to unsustainable abstraction from wellfields. The general flow of groundwater in the town, which is from the North where the Nuweveld mountains are situated to the town dyke in the South, is dictated by major dykes in the area. In 2011, flooding resulted in extreme groundwater recharge with groundwater levels North East of Beaufort West recovering tremendously, from 45m below ground level to approximately 10m below ground level; and the general groundwater levels of Beaufort West becoming relatively higher. The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of episodic groundwater recharge around extreme climatic conditions of high precipitation events in a semi-arid region. This was done by analyzing data for surface water levels, groundwater levels, rainfall and evaporation from Beaufort West; using Sentinel 1 in InSAR (interferometric synthetic aperture radar) to utilize remote sensing as a tool to examine land surface fluctuations with regards to the changes in the groundwater levels; as well as studying the hydrogeological setting and lineaments in the area

Presenter Name
Aarifah
Presenter Surname
Williams
Area
Beaufort West
Conference year
2019