Hydrogeology and Water Resource Management

Water is a vital resource. Careful and sustainable use of this element, which includes efficient groundwater management, is essential for our clients and for us – at the same time it is also a complex and responsible task.

DMT supports private companies and public clients worldwide by providing specialized engineering and consulting services focusing on the entire water cycle.

Effective groundwater management: Balancing competing interests and optimizing water use for a sustainable future

The global challenge is to balance competing uses of and interests in this vital element. Areas of tension include hydraulics vs. constituents, near-surface vs. deep groundwater, site-specific vs. regional approaches, increasing water demand vs. sustainability, water use vs. discharge management. In addition, there are changing boundary conditions (e.g., due to climate change) such as water scarcity or water in excess, selective use or discharge, stricter environmental regulations, or new limits on substances in groundwater. This means that planning in hydrogeology and hydrology must consider multiple interests. Our goal is to analyze the complex water systems and to optimize water use taking the interests and the environment into account, always keeping groundwater management at the forefront of our considerations.

**Hydrogeology**
Hydrogeology services are crucial for sustainable water management. Site characterization and groundwater exploration identify resources, while hydrogeochemical modelling ensures water quality. Groundwater modelling predicts aquifer behavior, and pumping tests optimize extraction. Authorisationprocedures ensure regulatory compliance, protecting both resources and communities.

**Numerical Modelling**
The modelling of hydrogeology and hydrology is of crucial importance for the management of water resources. Hydrogeochemical and groundwater models ensure water quality and predict the behaviourof aquifers. Modelling of surface water, sediment transport and hydrodynamics helps with flood control and ecosystem health. Mine water modelling including reactive transport modelling helps with mine closure, while coastal modelling protects against sea level rise.

**Mine Water Management**
Mine water modelling is crucial for managing mining impacts. Using in-house software like BoxModel, it predicts water flow and quality. Hydrogeochemical modelling ensures safe water chemistry, while hydrogeological characterization assesses mining area conditions. Post-mining studies guide land restoration, ensuring environmental safety and compliance.

**Water Supply**
Water supply services are essential for sustainable resource management. Groundwater exploration identifies new sources, while hydrochemicalcharacterization ensures quality. Well planning and monitoring optimize extraction, and aquifer testing assesses capacity. Numerical modelling predicts system behavior, and water management planning ensures long-term availability and efficiency.

**Surface Water Hydrology**
Hydrology services are vital for managing water resources and mitigating environmental impacts. Surface water and sediment transport modelling help maintain water quality. Rainfall-runoff and hydrodynamic modelling aid in flood prediction. Coastal modelling and flood analysis protect against climate change effects.

**Geothermal Water Use**
Geothermal water use is key for sustainable energy. Location checks and potential studies identify viable sites. Heat transport modelling optimizes deep geothermal energy extraction. Near-surface geothermal taps into shallow resources, while mine water geothermal repurposes old mines, enhancing energy efficiency and reducing environmental impact.

We help to reduce investment costs through forward-looking planning, and likewise to reduce operating costs through optimized use of existing resources. We offer individual consulting, develop solutions and deliver partial or complete packages for water management projects. We prepare analyses and concept studies, offer preliminary and detailed design including cost estimation, and take care of project management and construction supervision. Our clients benefit from well-founded forecasts and realistic scenarios based on our many years of experience in hydrogeology and water management.

Optimizing groundwater management: Protecting resources, evaluating changes, and developing sustainable improvement strategies

Groundwater management: In water management, we focus on the protection and sustainable use of groundwater resources. We observe and evaluate changes in groundwater status and relate them to natural conditions. On this basis, we draw up catalogs of measures for the sustainable improvement of groundwater status and develop plans for optimized groundwater management. Based on measurements and investigations of the water, we determine the aquifers and the depth of the groundwater table, as well as its range of fluctuation. We support you with planning and numerical groundwater modeling as well as for mine and surface water. A special focus is on consulting and planning of deep foundations and infrastructure measures such as tunnel construction.

Mine water and sediment management: Advancing projects with expertise and innovation

DMT currently advises on projects such as the construction of hydropower plants and dams, impact assessment of mine water rises, coupling of groundwater, mine water and surface water models, planning new mines, keeping subsidence streams dry and optimizing mine water management in mining areas, where groundwater management is a key factor.

In the field of solute transport in groundwater and mine water, we are dealing with the occurrence, mobility, dispersion and possible degradation of dissolved or particle-bound substances. We have many years of experience in the exploration, remediation or safeguarding of groundwater contamination. For this purpose, independent investigations of sorption and degradation behavior and numerical modeling are carried out to find optimal measures. Monitored and Enhanced Natural Attenuation (MNA and ENA) methods are also applied to these measures, which are based on the targeted use of microbial degradation processes.

Sediment Management: The transport of sediments, substances and heat in surface waters can be influenced in a sustainable way by measures taken at the water body. Generally, this allows for complex situations in the water body that have to be recognized and interpreted. DMT is the right partner for this. Through a high level of expertise and the use of numerical models, DMT analyzes both the hydraulic situation and the prevailing transport mechanisms. This analysis usually allows optimizations to be made to the plans and costs to be saved.

Water calls for knowledge

We cover the entire spectrum of fundamental investigations in the context of water resource and groundwater management. From assessments, technical specialist studies and the evaluation of environmental pressures to the development of "digital twins" that not only visualize complex processes in digital form, but also determine and automatically control the optimal operating process. In sediment management, we also use numerical models to simulate water flow and to calculate sediment and solute transport, heat transport, and hydro- and geochemical reactions.

The issues surrounding the water cycle require innovative solutions and methods. DMT has developed specialized software for the mine water sector that is used worldwide: Boxmodel With two programs derived from it, Heatflow and ReacFlow. They can be used to model groundwater flow as well as heat transport, with special consideration of faults, and the transport of solutes, considering chemical reactions, respectively. In addition, a large number of well-known and widely used programs such as Spring and Feflow for numerical groundwater modelling are utilized by us for hydrological and hydrogeological problems.

DMT service packages around all aspects of water resource management:

Groundwater management / Mine water management

Exploration: localization of groundwater deposits and aquifers, volume determination, investigations of the regional groundwater situation
Safety: groundwater management for major construction projects, retention of contaminant plumes
Production: planning and optimization of wells, reduction of pumping costs
Automation: optimization of pump control
Sustainability: development of concepts for recharging aquifers
Mine water: management and treatment, transport of dissolved and particle-bound substances in mines, support for mine planning, operation and decommissioning

Surface water

Safety: management of heavy rainfall events, prolonged heat and drought, identification of floodplains, forecasting of floods
River basin management: holistic and interdisciplinary consulting and planning
Automation: reservoir management, energy generation, 4.0 systems for water management, automatic control room management based on forecast scenarios
Sediment and material transport: analysis, planning and expert opinions
Hydraulic engineering planning

Drinking water

Water cycle: studies for public and private clients, planning of distribution networks and transport pipelines to ensure drinking water production and supply

Wastewater

Wastewater management: calculation of networks, collection and treatment.
Design of industrial wastewater treatment plants
Monitoring: water level and discharge measurements
Water discharge management: expert opinions and support of water law approval procedures