Recharge and Lateral Groundwater Flow Boundary Conditions for the Saturated Zone Site-Scale Flow and Transport Model

This analysis is designed to use existing modeling and analysis results as the basis for estimated groundwater flow rates into the saturated zone (SZ) site-scale model domains, both as recharge (infiltration) at the upper boundary (water table), and as underflow at the lateral boundaries. Specifically, this work compiles information on the recharge boundary conditions supplied to the base-case and alternate SZ site-scale flow models taken from (1) distributed recharge from the 1997 (D'Agnese et al. 1997 [DIRS 100131]) or 2001 (D'Agnese et al. 2002 [DIRS 158876]) SZ regional-scale (Death Valley Regional Flow System [DVRFS]) model; (2) recharge below the area of the 1997 (Wu et al. 1997 [DIRS 156453]) or 2003 (BSC 2004 [DIRS 169861]) unsaturated zone (UZ) site-scale flow model; and (3) focused recharge along Fortymile Wash. In addition, this analysis includes extraction of the groundwater flow rates simulated by the 1997 and 2001 DVRFS models coincident with the lateral boundaries of the SZ site-scale flow models. The fluxes from the 1997 DVRFS were used to calibrate the base-case SZ site-scale flow model. The 2001 DVRFS fluxes are used in the alternate SZ site-scale flow model