A hydrogeological investigation of ground water recharge near the drainage retention basin, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California

This thesis was conducted over the 1985-86 water year to determine the rates and effects of ground water recharge from a man-made drainage retention basin, located at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA.;The relationships between rainfall, surface runoff, ponding, infiltration, wetting front migration, and ground water recharge were characterized. Data from a network of soil resistance cells indicated that moisture flux in the vadose zone is dependent on the distribution of permeable soils, horizontal distance to ponding, and antecedent moisture conditions. Water levels in wells within and near the basin fluctuated up to 25 feet after major storms and rose within 2 to 3 days after the onset of most storms. By the end of the rainy period, approximately 75 acre-feet of water was recharged and the water table mound had propagated radially at least 2000 feet from the basin.