MODFLOW-NWT and MODPATH groundwater flow models of the Farmington River Watershed (Connecticut and Massachusetts)

Groundwater flow models have the potential to predict spatial groundwater discharge dynamics within river networks, but models are often not evaluated against discharge dynamics. The objective of this study was to understand the variation in simulated discharge dynamics (discharge location, flowpath depth, and subsurface travel time) for models with common, but varying frameworks and assumptions. The University of Connecticut in collaboration with the United States Geological Survey developed a groundwater flow model (MODFLOW-NWT) for the Farmington River Watershed (1,570 km2) in the northeastern United States and systematically varied the type of typical calibration data (well head and stream elevation); calibration parameters; parameters [...]