Rapid population growth in the Toluca Valley region has led to an increasing demand on the available water resources. The groundwater overexploitation has resulted in a systematic decline of the groundwater levels, the disappearance of artesian springs and wetlands, as well as land subsidence and earth fissuring within the watershed. To address these concerns, this book compiles 20 years of research aiming to establish guidelines for the sustainable management of the Toluca aquifer system.
This book provides readers a better understanding of the consequences of continued pumping of the Toluca aquifer, given the trends of groundwater exploitation. The reader will find hydrogeological and hydrological tools, as well as analysis of multilevel monitoring wells, recharge, groundwater withdrawal and natural discharge data, that were used to better understand the groundwater budget and the evolution of groundwater-level declines to estimate its availability and future deficit. This book shows that a multi-disciplinary approach based on a coupled groundwater flow and aquifer deformation model, hydraulic heads time-series, borehole extensometers measurements and InSAR interferometry data, is useful to assess the sustainability of groundwater resources in aquifers subject to compaction. This study emphasizes the importance of achieving a balance between water pumping and natural rates of recharge and providing better protection of key recharge areas from actual and future land use changes. The declining groundwater levels in the Toluca aquifer system are a challenge for water resource managers and stakeholders that wish to minimize the risks to human and infrastructure while maximizing the beneficial use of the groundwater resources.