Regional recharge assessment in the crystalline bedrock aquifer of the Kenogami Uplands, Canada

Assessing recharge in unconfined fractured rock aquifers is a challenging task due to the discontinuous nature of this medium. In this study, a methodology is proposed based on an analytical interpretation of the regional hydraulic head profiles of an unconfined fractured rock aquifer, to determine its recharge. This calculation is conducted for a regional groundwater system based on a one-dimensional Dupuit-Forchheimer model in steady-state conditions that yields the value of the ratio of the aquifer recharge to the aquifer hydraulic conductivity. The approach is tested on a crystalline bedrock aquifer (Kenogami Uplands) of the Canadian Shield located in the Province of Quebec in Canada. The results show an average hydraulic conductivity of the aquifer of 4.3x107 m/s and a recharge equivalent to approximately 0.4% (3.5 mm/year) of precipitation. These results are in agreement with other studies conducted on similar crystalline aquifers in the Canadian Shield.