GROUND WATER / SURF ' ACE WATER INTERACTIONS JULY 1 - 3 A m SUMMER SPECIALTY CONFERENCE 2002 2 . 4976 f 9 F

ABSTRACT: Recent theoretical work on stream depletion and water level responses to pumping a well near a stream include the (semi-) analytical solutions by Hunt (1999), Zlotnik and Huang (1999), and Butler et al. (2001). Yet, few field studies assessed the limiting assumptions and physical concepts inherent in the theoretical models. A long-term study of stream depletion under typical conditions for the Great Plains was initiated on the Prairie Creek watershed (Platte River tributary), Nebraska. A site was instrumented with 27 permanent and 40 temporary piezometers, pressure and temperature transducers, as well as stream gauging stations. Since 1999, the study gathered data on three pumping test under different hydrologic conditions and hydraulic aquifer characteristics. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of data on head responses under pumping and non-pumping conditions, coupled with temperature records, give insight in the physical processes. The potential and limitations of the applied models in predicting drawdown and stream depletion have important ramifications for water resources management. KEY TERMS: stream depletion; pumping tests; aquifer heterogeneity; temperature tracer, hydraulic characterization.