The Santa Rosa Creek Watershed is an approximately 48 mi2 large watershed located on the central coast of California. This watershed drains to the Pacific Ocean through Santa Rosa Creek as it passes through agricultural land and the town of Cambria. Historically the groundwater within the Santa Rosa Creek Watershed has been used for irrigation, municipal and domestic uses, and the creek is critical habitat steelhead trout. During dry years, there is less water for all uses. When low groundwater levels occur, water can be drawn out of the creek and into the soil, drying out steelhead habitat. Seven agricultural operators within the Santa Rosa Creek Watershed are working with a local non-profit to improve sustainability of the aquifer through artificial groundwater recharge. One of these projects includes the use of a recharge basin. This study was conducted to understand the impacts of that recharge basin on the groundwater surrounding it as well as to evaluate the site’s potential for other recharge methods. The groundwater within the site of interest was modeled using GMS to calculate head values, to determine flow directions, and to determine timings. Three different hydrogeologic layers were used to simulate an upper unconfined zone, a clay confining layer, and a confined zone. The model was calibrated to known groundwater head values throughout the site. ArcMap was used to organize and preprocess data that went into the GMS model. Elevation, hydrologic soil characteristics, boundary heads, recharge rates, evapotranspiration rates, and well locations and pumping rates datasets were all preprocessed and imported into GMS. The model showed that the water from the recharge basin does not percolate into the underlying groundwater aquifer, but it flows out of the upper unconfined layer and into the creek over time. This is caused primarily by a low hydrologic conductivity confined aquifer in the northern section of the site as well as a confining clay layer underneath the unconfined top layer. According to the model, the site may not be feasible for artificial groundwater recharge in the northern portion, but there is potential for recharge in the southern area. Further data collection could improve the model to support or dispute these findings.
","abstract_html":"<p>The Santa Rosa Creek Watershed is an approximately 48 mi2 large watershed located on the central coast of California. This watershed drains to the Pacific Ocean through Santa Rosa Creek as it passes through agricultural land and the town of Cambria. Historically the groundwater within the Santa Rosa Creek Watershed has been used for irrigation, municipal and domestic uses, and the creek is critical habitat steelhead trout. During dry years, there is less water for all uses. When low groundwater levels occur, water can be drawn out of the creek and into the soil, drying out steelhead habitat. Seven agricultural operators within the Santa Rosa Creek Watershed are working with a local non-profit to improve sustainability of the aquifer through artificial groundwater recharge. One of these projects includes the use of a recharge basin. This study was conducted to understand the impacts of that recharge basin on the groundwater surrounding it as well as to evaluate the site’s potential for other recharge methods. The groundwater within the site of interest was modeled using GMS to calculate head values, to determine flow directions, and to determine timings. Three different hydrogeologic layers were used to simulate an upper unconfined zone, a clay confining layer, and a confined zone. The model was calibrated to known groundwater head values throughout the site. ArcMap was used to organize and preprocess data that went into the GMS model. Elevation, hydrologic soil characteristics, boundary heads, recharge rates, evapotranspiration rates, and well locations and pumping rates datasets were all preprocessed and imported into GMS. The model showed that the water from the recharge basin does not percolate into the underlying groundwater aquifer, but it flows out of the upper unconfined layer and into the creek over time. This is caused primarily by a low hydrologic conductivity confined aquifer in the northern section of the site as well as a confining clay layer underneath the unconfined top layer. According to the model, the site may not be feasible for artificial groundwater recharge in the northern portion, but there is potential for recharge in the southern area. Further data collection could improve the model to support or dispute these findings.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Murray, Alexander J"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering","degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":"Civil and Environmental Engineering","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Misgana Muleta","Civil and Environmental Engineering","College of Engineering"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2020,"date_issued":"2020-06-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2020-06-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:32:13Z","subjects":["Civil Engineering","Environmental Engineering","Hydraulic Engineering","Other Civil and Environmental Engineering"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["10.15368/theses.2020.40"],"render_values":[{"text":"10.15368/theses.2020.40","href":"https://doi.org/10.15368/theses.2020.40","code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/2140","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Misgana Muleta","Civil and Environmental Engineering","College of Engineering"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Murray, Alexander J"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2020-06-08T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Civil and Environmental Engineering"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Civil Engineering","Environmental Engineering","Hydraulic Engineering","Other Civil and Environmental Engineering"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/2140","10.15368/theses.2020.40"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The Santa Rosa Creek Watershed is an approximately 48 mi2 large watershed located on the central coast of California. This watershed drains to the Pacific Ocean through Santa Rosa Creek as it passes through agricultural land and the town of Cambria. Historically the groundwater within the Santa Rosa Creek Watershed has been used for irrigation, municipal and domestic uses, and the creek is critical habitat steelhead trout. During dry years, there is less water for all uses. When low groundwater levels occur, water can be drawn out of the creek and into the soil, drying out steelhead habitat. Seven agricultural operators within the Santa Rosa Creek Watershed are working with a local non-profit to improve sustainability of the aquifer through artificial groundwater recharge. One of these projects includes the use of a recharge basin. This study was conducted to understand the impacts of that recharge basin on the groundwater surrounding it as well as to evaluate the site’s potential for other recharge methods. The groundwater within the site of interest was modeled using GMS to calculate head values, to determine flow directions, and to determine timings. Three different hydrogeologic layers were used to simulate an upper unconfined zone, a clay confining layer, and a confined zone. The model was calibrated to known groundwater head values throughout the site. ArcMap was used to organize and preprocess data that went into the GMS model. Elevation, hydrologic soil characteristics, boundary heads, recharge rates, evapotranspiration rates, and well locations and pumping rates datasets were all preprocessed and imported into GMS. The model showed that the water from the recharge basin does not percolate into the underlying groundwater aquifer, but it flows out of the upper unconfined layer and into the creek over time. This is caused primarily by a low hydrologic conductivity confined aquifer in the northern section of the site as well as a confining clay layer underneath the unconfined top layer. According to the model, the site may not be feasible for artificial groundwater recharge in the northern portion, but there is potential for recharge in the southern area. Further data collection could improve the model to support or dispute these findings.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Modeling Artificial Groundwater Recharge in the Santa Rosa Creek Watershed"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Misgana Muleta","Civil and Environmental Engineering","College of Engineering"],"dc:creator":["Murray, Alexander J"],"dc:date.available":["2020-06-08T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The Santa Rosa Creek Watershed is an approximately 48 mi2 large watershed located on the central coast of California. This watershed drains to the Pacific Ocean through Santa Rosa Creek as it passes through agricultural land and the town of Cambria. Historically the groundwater within the Santa Rosa Creek Watershed has been used for irrigation, municipal and domestic uses, and the creek is critical habitat steelhead trout. During dry years, there is less water for all uses. When low groundwater levels occur, water can be drawn out of the creek and into the soil, drying out steelhead habitat. Seven agricultural operators within the Santa Rosa Creek Watershed are working with a local non-profit to improve sustainability of the aquifer through artificial groundwater recharge. One of these projects includes the use of a recharge basin. This study was conducted to understand the impacts of that recharge basin on the groundwater surrounding it as well as to evaluate the site’s potential for other recharge methods. The groundwater within the site of interest was modeled using GMS to calculate head values, to determine flow directions, and to determine timings. Three different hydrogeologic layers were used to simulate an upper unconfined zone, a clay confining layer, and a confined zone. The model was calibrated to known groundwater head values throughout the site. ArcMap was used to organize and preprocess data that went into the GMS model. Elevation, hydrologic soil characteristics, boundary heads, recharge rates, evapotranspiration rates, and well locations and pumping rates datasets were all preprocessed and imported into GMS. The model showed that the water from the recharge basin does not percolate into the underlying groundwater aquifer, but it flows out of the upper unconfined layer and into the creek over time. This is caused primarily by a low hydrologic conductivity confined aquifer in the northern section of the site as well as a confining clay layer underneath the unconfined top layer. According to the model, the site may not be feasible for artificial groundwater recharge in the northern portion, but there is potential for recharge in the southern area. Further data collection could improve the model to support or dispute these findings.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/2140","10.15368/theses.2020.40"],"dc:subject":["Civil Engineering","Environmental Engineering","Hydraulic Engineering","Other Civil and Environmental Engineering"],"dc:title":["Modeling Artificial Groundwater Recharge in the Santa Rosa Creek Watershed"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Civil and Environmental Engineering"],"thesis:degree_name":["MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:32:13Z"}