Application of Non-Linear Simulation and Optimisation Models in Groundwater Aquifer Management

The need for rational and overall water resources management has become, during the past decades, a problem ofmajor importance due to the rising water demands. In this paper atechnique is presented through which a management model that combines the useof two separate models, a flow simulation and an optimisation one, isused for groundwater management. The necessary stages for the formulationand the combined use of the two models, along with a number of problemsthat might arise during the development of the management model are alsopresented. This technique is applied to a large-scale case study problemthat forms an optimisation approach with a large number of non-linear decisionvariables. The results of the application of the management modeldemonstrate the importance of the use of such models both in managing rationallyavailable water resources and in reducing the operational cost of theirexploitation. Copyright Kluwer Academic Publishers 2004