A three-dimensional groundwater flow model using MODFLOW-NWT was developed to evaluate historical and potential stream capture in the lower Humboldt River Basin, Nevada. The Humboldt River Basin is the only river basin that is contained entirely within the state of Nevada. The effect of groundwater pumping on the Humboldt River is not well understood. Tools are needed to determine stream capture and manage groundwater pumping in the Humboldt River Basin. Previous work has demonstrated that the river’s surface-water resource is sensitive to groundwater withdrawals, which have steadily increased since the 1950s for agriculture, municipal, and mining uses. A numerical groundwater flow model was developed for the purpose of estimating stream capture from pre-2016 and future pumping as well as for any location of potential future pumping within the lower Humboldt River Basin. The model was calibrated with historical data from 1960 through 2016. The calibrated historic model was used to evaluate historic capture and a transient predictive model was used to evaluate potential capture anywhere within the lower Humboldt River Basin, Nevada. This USGS data release contains all of the input and output files for the simulations described in the associated model documentation report (https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20235110).

A new groundwater flow model for western Chippewa County, Wisconsin has been developed by the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey (WGNHS) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). An analytic element GFLOW model was constructed and calibrated to generate hydraulic boundary conditions for the perimeter of the more detailed three-dimensional MODFLOW-NWT model. This three-dimensional model uses the USGS MODFLOW-NWT finite difference code, a standalone version of MODFLOW-2005 that incorporates the Newton (NWT) solver. The model conceptualizes the hydrogeology of western Chippewa County as a six-layer system which includes several hydrostratigraphic units. The model explicitly simulates groundwater-surface-water interaction with streamflow routing. Model input included recent estimates of aquifer hydraulic conductivities and a spatial groundwater recharge distribution developed using a GIS-based soil-water-balance model for the study area. Groundwater withdrawals from pumping were simulated for 269 high-capacity wells across the entire model domain, which includes western Chippewa County and portions of eastern Dunn County and southeastern Barron County. Model calibration used the parameter estimation code PEST, and calibration targets included heads and stream flows. Calibration f focused on the period from during 2011 to 2013 when the largest amount of calibration data were available. Following calibration, the model was applied to two distinct scenarios; one evaluating hydraulic impacts of more intensive industrial sand mining and the second evaluating the hydraulicimpacts of more intensive agricultural irrigation practices. Each scenario was developed with input by Chippewa County and a stakeholder group established for this study, and designed to represent reasonable future build-out conditions for both mining and irrigatedagriculture. The mining scenario underscores the potential hydraulic impacts related to changing land-use practices (i.e., hilltops and farm land becoming sand mines), while the irrigated agriculture scenario illustrates the potential hydraulic impacts of intensifying existing land-use practices (i.e., installing new wells to irrigate farm fields).

A new groundwater flow model for western Chippewa County, Wisconsin has been developed by the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey (WGNHS) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). An analytic element GFLOW model was constructed and calibrated to generate hydraulic boundary conditions for the perimeter of the more detailed three-dimensional MODFLOW-NWT model. This three-dimensional model uses the USGS MODFLOW-NWT finite difference code, a standalone version of MODFLOW-2005 that incorporates the Newton (NWT) solver. The model conceptualizes the hydrogeology of western Chippewa County as a six-layer system which includes several hydrostratigraphic units. The model explicitly simulates groundwater-surface-water interaction with streamflow routing. Model input included recent estimates of aquifer hydraulic conductivities and a spatial groundwater recharge distribution developed using a GIS-based soil-water-balance model for the study area. Groundwater withdrawals from pumping were simulated for 269 high-capacity wells across the entire model domain, which includes western Chippewa County and portions of eastern Dunn County and southeastern Barron County. Model calibration used the parameter estimation code PEST, and calibration targets included heads and stream flows. Calibration f focused on the period from during 2011 to 2013 when the largest amount of calibration data were available. Following calibration, the model was applied to two distinct scenarios; one evaluating hydraulic impacts of more intensive industrial sand mining and the second evaluating the hydraulicimpacts of more intensive agricultural irrigation practices. Each scenario was developed with input by Chippewa County and a stakeholder group established for this study, and designed to represent reasonable future build-out conditions for both mining and irrigatedagriculture. The mining scenario underscores the potential hydraulic impacts related to changing land-use practices (i.e., hilltops and farm land becoming sand mines), while the irrigated agriculture scenario illustrates the potential hydraulic impacts of intensifying existing land-use practices (i.e., installing new wells to irrigate farm fields).

A three-dimensional groundwater flow model (MODFLOW-NWT) of the Columbia Plateau Regional aquifer (CPRAS) in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho was developed to provide an integrated understanding of the hydrologic system to implement effective water-resource management strategies. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Groundwater Resources Program assessed the groundwater availability as part of a national study of regional systems (https://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/1323/). The CPRAS assessment includes the status of groundwater resources, how these resources have changed over time, and development and application of tools to estimate system responses to stresses from future uses and climate variability and change. A major product of this assessment is a numerical groundwater-flow model of the system. Two models were constructed to simulate groundwater flow in the CPRAS: a steady-state predevelopment model representing conditions before large-scale pumping and irrigation altered the system, and a transient model representing the period 1900–2007. Construction of the model, development and calibration of the steady-state and transient simulations, as well as, a commingling scenario, is documented in the Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5127 (https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20145127). Two additional scenarios were completed and documented in the U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1817 (https://doi.org/10.3133/pp1817). One scenario represents long-term equilibrium under 2007 conditions and the other modified the equilibrium conditions to account for potential increased pumpage under projected temperature increases with climate change. The model is a useful tool for investigating water supply, water demand, management strategies, groundwater-surface water exchanges, and potential effects of changing climate on the hydrologic system. This USGS data release contains all of the input and output files for the simulations described in the associated model documentation reports: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1817 (https://doi.org/10.3133/pp1817) and the modeling report that documents the construction and calibration of the model, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5127 (https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20145127).

A three-dimensional groundwater flow model (MODFLOW-NWT) of the Columbia Plateau Regional aquifer (CPRAS) in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho was developed to provide an integrated understanding of the hydrologic system to implement effective water-resource management strategies. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Groundwater Resources Program assessed the groundwater availability as part of a national study of regional systems (https://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/1323/). The CPRAS assessment includes the status of groundwater resources, how these resources have changed over time, and development and application of tools to estimate system responses to stresses from future uses and climate variability and change. A major product of this assessment is a numerical groundwater-flow model of the system. Two models were constructed to simulate groundwater flow in the CPRAS: a steady-state predevelopment model representing conditions before large-scale pumping and irrigation altered the system, and a transient model representing the period 1900–2007. Construction of the model, development and calibration of the steady-state and transient simulations, as well as, a commingling scenario, is documented in the Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5127 (https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20145127). Two additional scenarios were completed and documented in the U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1817 (https://doi.org/10.3133/pp1817). One scenario represents long-term equilibrium under 2007 conditions and the other modified the equilibrium conditions to account for potential increased pumpage under projected temperature increases with climate change. The model is a useful tool for investigating water supply, water demand, management strategies, groundwater-surface water exchanges, and potential effects of changing climate on the hydrologic system. This USGS data release contains all of the input and output files for the simulations described in the associated model documentation reports: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1817 (https://doi.org/10.3133/pp1817) and the modeling report that documents the construction and calibration of the model, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5127 (https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20145127).

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB), constructed a finite-difference numerical groundwater-flow model of the Washita River aquifer by using MODFLOW-2005 (Harbaugh, 2005) with the Newton formulation solver (MODFLOW-NWT). The 1973 Oklahoma Groundwater Law requires that the OWRB conduct hydrologic investigations of the State’s aquifers to determine the maximum annual yield (MAY) for each groundwater basin. The MAY is defined as the total amount of fresh groundwater that can be annually withdrawn while allowing a minimum 20-year life of that groundwater basin. For alluvium and terrace groundwater basins, the life requirement is satisfied if, after 20 years of MAY withdrawals, 50 percent of the groundwater basin (hereinafter referred to as an “aquifer”) retains a saturated thickness of at least 5 ft. Once a MAY has been established, the amount of land owned or leased by a groundwater-use permit applicant determines the annual volume of water allocated to that groundwater-use permit applicant. The annual volume of groundwater allocated per acre of land is known as the equal-proportionate-share (EPS) pumping rate. The OWRB issued a final order on November 13, 1990, that established the MAY (81,840 and 46,935 acre-feet per year [acre-ft/yr]) and EPS pumping rate (1.5 and 1.0 acre-foot per acre per year) for reaches 3 and 4, respectively, of the Washita River aquifer in southern Oklahoma. Because more than 20 years have elapsed since the final order was issued, the USGS, in cooperation with the OWRB, conducted an updated hydrologic investigation and evaluated the effects of potential groundwater withdrawals on groundwater flow and availability in the Washita River aquifer in southern Oklahoma. Reach 3 extends from near Anadarko, Okla., to Alex, Okla., and reach 4 extends from near Alex to south of Davis, Okla. Twenty-four simulations are included in this data release: a simulation for the calibrated numerical groundwater-flow model, 18 scenario simulations to evaluate the EPS pumping rate, 4 scenario simulations to evaluate groundwater storage over a 50-year period, and 1 scenario simulation to evaluate effects of a hypothetical drought. This USGS data release contains all of the input and output files for the simulations described in the associated model documentation report (https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20235072).

A groundwater-flow model was developed for the Bad River Watershed and surrounding area by using the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) finite-difference code MODFLOW–NWT. The model simulates steady-state groundwater-flow and base flow in streams by using the streamflow routing (SFR) package. The model was calibrated to groundwater levels and base flows obtained from the USGS National Water Information System (NWIS) database, and groundwater levels obtained from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and Bad River Band well-construction databases. Calibration was performed via nonlinear regression by using the parameter-estimation software suite PEST.

A numerical groundwater flow model of the Hualapai Valley Basin, using MODFLOW-NWT, was developed to assist water-resource managers in understanding the potential effects of projected groundwater withdrawals on groundwater levels in the basin. Hualapai Valley Basin is a broad, internally drained, intermountain desert basin in Mohave County, northwestern Arizona. Basin-fill aquifers are the primary groundwater source for many desert communities, and the residents, commerce, and agriculture in and near to the Hualapai Valley Basin must rely on such groundwater to meet water needs. As in many parts of the western United States, population growth in this part of Arizona is substantial. From 2000 to 2018 the population of the City of Kingman, Arizona, grew from 20,069 to 30,314, an increase of 51 percent, whereas the population of Mohave County grew from 155,062 to 209,550, an increase of 35 percent. Water managers in Mohave County have raised concern about the potential for future groundwater development and additional stresses on the groundwater system in the Hualapai Valley Basin. In particular, the City of Kingman, Ariz., water supply is primarily groundwater withdrawn from the Kingman subbasin of the Hualapai Valley Basin, northeast of the city. The potential effects of future water development on the City of Kingman well field have become a top concern to regional water-resource managers. To address these concerns the Hualapai Valley Hydrologic Model (HVHM) simulates the hydrologic system for the years 1935 through 2219, including future withdrawal scenarios that simulate large-scale agricultural expansion with and without enhanced groundwater recharge from potential new infiltration basin projects. HVHM is a highly parameterized model (75,586 adjustable parameters) capable of simulating grid-scale variability in aquifer properties (for example, conductivity, specific yield, and specific storage) and system stresses (for instance, natural recharge and groundwater withdrawals). System stresses were partially adopted from a previously-published groundwater model (Tillman and others, 2013). Parameter estimation and uncertainty quantification were performed using an iterative ensemble smoother software (PESTPP-IES) to produce an ensemble of models fit to historical data. Two future scenarios were simulated with a subset of the posterior parameter ensemble comprising the 40 best-fit realizations. In scenario 1, future pumping was simulated to increase linearly from 2019 through 2029 and then held constant through 2219. Scenario 2 includes the same specified future pumping, but also simulates enhanced recharge at proposed infiltration basins throughout the Kingman subbasin beginning in 2019. This USGS data release contains all of the input and output files for the simulations described in the associated model documentation report (https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20215077).

A numerical groundwater flow model of the Hualapai Valley Basin, using MODFLOW-NWT, was developed to assist water-resource managers in understanding the potential effects of projected groundwater withdrawals on groundwater levels in the basin. Hualapai Valley Basin is a broad, internally drained, intermountain desert basin in Mohave County, northwestern Arizona. Basin-fill aquifers are the primary groundwater source for many desert communities, and the residents, commerce, and agriculture in and near to the Hualapai Valley Basin must rely on such groundwater to meet water needs. As in many parts of the western United States, population growth in this part of Arizona is substantial. From 2000 to 2018 the population of the City of Kingman, Arizona, grew from 20,069 to 30,314, an increase of 51 percent, whereas the population of Mohave County grew from 155,062 to 209,550, an increase of 35 percent. Water managers in Mohave County have raised concern about the potential for future groundwater development and additional stresses on the groundwater system in the Hualapai Valley Basin. In particular, the City of Kingman, Ariz., water supply is primarily groundwater withdrawn from the Kingman subbasin of the Hualapai Valley Basin, northeast of the city. The potential effects of future water development on the City of Kingman well field have become a top concern to regional water-resource managers. To address these concerns the Hualapai Valley Hydrologic Model (HVHM) simulates the hydrologic system for the years 1935 through 2219, including future withdrawal scenarios that simulate large-scale agricultural expansion with and without enhanced groundwater recharge from potential new infiltration basin projects. HVHM is a highly parameterized model (75,586 adjustable parameters) capable of simulating grid-scale variability in aquifer properties (for example, conductivity, specific yield, and specific storage) and system stresses (for instance, natural recharge and groundwater withdrawals). System stresses were partially adopted from a previously-published groundwater model (Tillman and others, 2013). Parameter estimation and uncertainty quantification were performed using an iterative ensemble smoother software (PESTPP-IES) to produce an ensemble of models fit to historical data. Two future scenarios were simulated with a subset of the posterior parameter ensemble comprising the 40 best-fit realizations. In scenario 1, future pumping was simulated to increase linearly from 2019 through 2029 and then held constant through 2219. Scenario 2 includes the same specified future pumping, but also simulates enhanced recharge at proposed infiltration basins throughout the Kingman subbasin beginning in 2019. This USGS data release contains all of the input and output files for the simulations described in the associated model documentation report (https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20215077).

A three-dimensional groundwater flow model was developed to characterize groundwater resources the uppermost principal aquifers in the Williston structural basin in parts of Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota in the United States and of Manitoba and Saskatchewan in Canada as part of a detailed assessment of the groundwater availability of the area. The uppermost principal aquifers are comprised of the glacial, lower Tertiary, and Upper Cretaceous aquifer systems. The model was developed as a part of the U.S. Geological Survey Water Availability and Use Science Program's effort to conduct large-scale multidisciplinary regional studies of groundwater availability. The numerical model is intended to be used to (1) simulate hydrologic scenarios of interest to groundwater managers and to advance the understanding of groundwater budgets and components including recharge, discharge, and aquifer storage for the entire system, (2) compute historical and projected system response to natural and anthropogenic stresses, and (3) evaluate potential hydrologic monitoring programs at a scale relevant to basin-wide water-management decisions. The three-dimensional groundwater-flow model was developed using the numerical modeling software, MODFLOW-NWT. The steady-state (mean) hydrological conditions included data from 1981 to 2005, and transient (temporally-varying) conditions included a combination of a steady state period with data prior to 1960, and a transient period from 1961 to 2005. The model was calibrated by attempting to match simulated and measured or estimated hydraulic heads, differences in hydraulic heads between aquifers, stream base flow, and measured flow at flowing artesian wells. Sub-regional water budgets for the model area were produced with ZONEBUDGET. This USGS data release contains all of the input and output files for the model described in the associated model documentation report (https://doi.org/10.3133/sir201755158). This data release also includes (1) MODFLOW-NWT (version 1.0.9) source code, and (2) ZONEBUDGET source code.