Delineation of potential areas of groundwater recharge in the Siriri River basin, State of Sergipe, Brazil

Abstract

Aquifers are important sources of water supply in many basins especially when surface water presents scenarios of scarcity and pollution. Many authors attribute the groundwater strategic importance in the maintenance of ecosystems. The recharge is an important factor for the maintenance of the aquifer systems. In this paper, it was used a methodology based on GIS to delineate potential areas for groundwater recharge. The Siriri River basin, in the State of Sergipe, Brazil, was used as a case study. Hypsometry and slope maps were prepared through digital elevation model that were associated with thematic maps of geomorphology, soil class, aquifer types, soil occupation and drainage network. Each map was divided by weight and the weights resulted in the value of the potential recharge that, by it turn, resulted in a classification. 61.04% of the basin area (254.15 km2) provides favorable conditions for groundwater recharge and the most favorable regions were concentrated at upstream limit. The methodology was effective to evaluate the distribution of groundwater recharge in the basin and can be a valuable tool for the management of groundwater resources.