UC Santa Barbara

Ground-water/surface-water interactions in of the largest aquifer systems in the United States were analyzed in this article. The Edwards karst aquifer of Texas exhibits unique ground-water recharge processes. It is also located in a region of pronounced precipitation variability, the dominant controlling factor of ground-water recharge. The evolution of ground-water storage effected by recharge, pumping, and spring flow in the Edwards Aquifer has provided new evidence about the role of hydrologic, climatic, ecologic, and social factors in the determination of sustainable aquifer management policies. Historical data and numerical simulations were used to analyze pumping impacts within an integrated framework of sustainable aquifer production. © 2001 American Society of Civil Engineers.