GROUNDWATER RECHARGE ESTIMATES AT BAURU AQUIFER SYSTEM (BAS)

Abstract

Estimating groundwater recharge values is important to understand aquifer dynamics disturbed by climatological driven forces and land use. This work estimated groundwater recharge rates using water table fluctuation method in a Bauru Aquifer System (BAS) area at Santa Barbara Ecological Station and State Forrest for 2014/2015 and 2015/2016 hydrological years. During this period, the area passed through two distinct climate periods: first, a considered normal year (with precipitation rates around the historical 30-year mean), followed by a year with the presence of ENSO (El Niño South Oscilation) increasing precipitation 35.44% if compared with the previous year. The results showed, spatializing the phenomenon in study area, which even with differences in the precipitation rates, the percentage of recharge was the same for both periods, not evidencing differences from areas with Cerrado vegetation and exotic reforestations with Pine and Eucalyptus trees