MANAGING WISCONSIN’S WATER RESOURCES THROUGH APPLICATIONS OF HISTORIC AND NOVEL HYDROGEOLOGIC RESEARCH

Applied hydrogeologic research is essential for effective resource management. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources supports applied research to address specific management goals and routinely uses results from these and other projects to inform policies and associated analyses. Analysis of pumping from high capacity wells is informed by peer-reviewed research and data including geologic maps and cross sections, stream flow measurements, groundwater levels, aquifer properties, hydrogeologic conceptual models, borehole geophysical measurements, groundwater flow models, and various analysis methods.

Ken Bradbury contributed to many such applied research projects that provide value for resource managers. For example, the Department routinely utilizes TGUESS, a method for estimating transmissivity from well construction reports. Other contributions include conceptual models of groundwater flow, for example in fractured crystalline rock in Central Wisconsin; numerical groundwater flow models such as the Little Plover River model; and a database of Wisconsin aquifer properties. These studies inform sound management of Wisconsin’s groundwater resources and provide a foundation for advances in the field.

The Department also seeks applied hydrogeologic research that advances our approach to resource management. Novel measurement techniques, such as airborne electromagnetic (AEM) surveys, oscillatory testing, and remote sensing complement long-standing studies of aquifer properties. Groundwater flow models, machine learning, and geostatistics may help the Department manage groundwater in fractured granite where aquifer storage is limited or during transient conditions of drought or flooding. These advances build on historic hydrogeologic studies and improve our ability to effectively manage water resources.