Assessing Hydrological Impacts of Purified Produced Water Reuse in the Pecos River Basin Using integrated Hydrological modeling framework

Project Description

This project evaluates the hydrological and ecological impacts of purified produced water reuse in the Pecos River Basin, where water scarcity and increasing reuse proposals demand robust, basin-scale assessment tools. Using a coupled SWAT+gwflow modeling framework, the study simulates surface–subsurface processes to track released water, quantify impacts on streamflow, baseflow, and aquifer systems, and characterize spatial–temporal hydrologic responses. Advanced parameter estimation and uncertainty analysis are conducted with PEST++ tools, enabling multi-objective, scenario-based evaluation of trade-offs among hydrologic performance, ecological risk, and regulatory constraints. The framework supports informed decision-making for safe produced water reuse in data-limited, arid river basins.

Highlights

• Integrated Surface–Groundwater Assessment: Applied SWAT+ gwflow to simulate the fate, transport, and hydrologic impacts of purified produced water releases at the basin scale.
• Uncertainty-Aware Decision Support: Used PEST++ (PESTPP-MOU and PESTPP-SWP) to evaluate trade-offs among streamflow impacts, ecological risk, and regulatory constraints under uncertainty.
• Real-World Management Applications: Tested the framework using actual discharge permit scenarios, with ongoing expansion to land-application reuse strategies.