Sustainability of Groundwater Resources and its Indicators (Proceedings of symposium S3 held during the Seventh IAHS Scientific Assembly at Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil, April 2005). IAHS Publ. 302, 2006, 91-97.

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Water table fluctuations: an indicator of hydrological behaviour in the northwest region of Buenos Aires Province (Argentina)

EDUARDO KRUSE¹, JUAN ALBERTO FORTE LAY² & JOSE LUIS AIELLO³

1 Universidad Nacional de La Plata and CONICET. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas, Paseo del Bosque, La Plata (1900), Argentina

kruse@fcaglp.fcaglp.unlp.edu.ar

2 CONICET, Larrea 1045, Buenos Aires (1117), Argentina

3 Universidad Nacional de La Plata.Paseo del Bosque, La Plata (1900), Argentina

Abstract The northwest region of Buenos Aires Province is a great plain with a small topographic slope (0.1 m km-1). There is no fluvial network and the ponds located in the depressions are important. The water table fluctuations are indicators of hydrological behaviour. In wet periods, the water excesses generate a rise of the water table and an increase in the pond areas. The water table is shallower (depth: 1–2 m) and usually produces overflows and negatively affects the agricultural production. In a dry period, the water table falls and some existing depressions become dry. The water table depth (3–4 m) shows a relationship with the reduction of the pond areas. The falling water table makes satisfaction of agricultural demands for water difficult.

Key words Argentina; flatland; hydrological behaviour; water table; wet and dry periods

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