Harquahala Valley Water Project

True provided basin-wide groundwater flow modeling of an alluvial aquifer in support of the Harquahala Valley Water Project (HVWP) in Arizona. The project proposes to pump groundwater from the Irrigation Non-Expansion Area (INA) for use in the Phoenix, Pinal, and Tucson Active Management Areas (AMAs). True constructed and calibrated the numerical model, then prepared two predictive scenarios to test and compare proposed groundwater pumping associated with the HVWP to a scenario of continued existing uses primarily for agriculture in the basin.

The HVWP Model was developed and tested following accepted industry standards including pertinent ASTM standards. The HVWP Model simulates groundwater level elevations and trends in the context of a complex heterogeneous aquifer system. The results demonstrate that the HVWP Model can be used to simulate scenarios of varying aquifer stresses and compare the relative responses in water level behavior.