Comparative study of urban development and groundwater condition in coastal areas of Buenos Aires, Argentina

RODRIGUES CAPITULO L.; CARRETERO S.; KRUSE E.

HYDROGEOLOGY JOURNAL

SPRINGER

Lugar: Berlin; Año: 2017

1431-2174

The geomorphologicalevolution of a sand-dune barrier in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is analyzed as afactor regulating the fresh groundwater reserves available. Its impact and theconsequences for the social and economic development of two coastal areas areassessed. This is one of themost important tourist destinations in the country; for study purposes, it wasdivided into a northern sector and a southern sector. In the southern sector, theexploitable groundwater is associated with the Holocene and Upper Pleistocenegeomorphological evolution, which generated three interrelated aquifer units,constituting a system whose useful thickness reaches at least 45 m. Onthe other hand, the northern sector is restricted to two Holocene aquiferunits, whose total thickness is on the order of 12 m. The morphologicalcharacteristics and the occurrence of the largest fresh groundwater reserves inthe southern sector are indicators of better conditions for economic growth,which is mainly reflected on the expansion of real estate ventures. Therelationships of transmissivity vs area of real estate ventures (Arev) and total water consumptionvs Arevare indicators for the sustainable management of the water resources. The approach chosen may beused by decision makers in other regions to assess the feasibility of futuretourism projects on the basis of the availability of water resources associatedwith geomorphological features.