In Wisconsin’s Central Sands, stretches of the Little Plover River have gone dry in past years. Some people have blamed high-capacity wells, while others cite changing land use, climate change, or natural weather patterns.
To evaluate the effects of different stresses on the Little Plover River, WGNHS and the U.S. Geological Survey developed a groundwater flow model. This state-of-the-art tool demonstrates the scientific relationships between groundwater, lakes and streams, and high-capacity wells. The model allows users to test different ways of managing groundwater in the Central Sands.
(Project commissioned by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.)
Download files
Want to explore the model? Access its files below.
Presentation
On April 12, 2016, Ken Bradbury of WGNHS and Mike Fienen of the U.S. Geological Survey presented the results of a multi-year project developing a groundwater model for the Little Plover River basin. View the full video below.
More information
Project summary (fyi.extension.wisc.edu): Background information
Metadata (USGS): MODFLOW-NWT groundwater flow model and GWM-VI optimization code for the Little Plover River basin in Wisconsin’s Central Sands
Contact for more details:
- Ken Bradbury (WGNHS), ken.bradbury@wisc.edu
- Michael Fienen (USGS), mnfienen@usgs.gov