Author(s)

F. De Smedt & 0. Batelaan

Abstract

Investigation of the human impact on regional groundwater systems F. De Smedt & 0. Batelaan Department of Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium Abstract The human impact on regional groundwater systems is investigated in the Dijle basin, situated east of Brussels, Belgium. The hydrological and hydrogeological settings are rather complex because the land-use is strongly affected by urbanisation, industrialisation and agriculture. The effect of land-use on the groundwater recharge is simulated with the WetSpass model, which allows one to estimate spatially distributed runoff, evapotranspiration, and recharge as a function of land cover, soil type and topography. In order to quantify the impact of urban and agricultural land-use, the results are compared with the hypothetical situation in which all land cover is assumed to be forest. The results show a substantial reduction in groundwater recharge especially in urban areas. 1 Introduction The role and importan

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