Document Type
Thesis
Degree
Master of Science
Department
Environmental Studies
Advisor's Name
Assefa M. Melesse
Advisor's Title
Committee Chair
Advisor's Name
Mahadev Bhat
Advisor's Name
Jeffrey A. Onsted
Advisor's Name
Daniel Gann
Keywords
artificial recharge, New Providence, Bahamas, freshwater, aquifers, GIS, freshwater scarcity
Date of Defense
3-31-2011
Abstract
The Bahamas is a small island nation that is dealing with the problem of freshwater shortage. All of the country’s freshwater is contained in shallow lens aquifers that are recharged solely by rainfall. The country has been struggling to meet the water demands by employing a combination of over-pumping of aquifers, transport of water by barge between islands, and desalination of sea water. In recent decades, new development on New Providence, where the capital city of Nassau is located, has created a large area of impervious surfaces and thereby a substantial amount of runoff with the result that several of the aquifers are not being recharged. A geodatabase was assembled to assess and estimate the quantity of runoff from these impervious surfaces and potential recharge locations were identified using a combination of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and remote sensing. This study showed that runoff from impervious surfaces in New Providence represents a large freshwater resource that could potentially be used to recharge the lens aquifers on New Providence.
Recommended Citation
Diamond, Mildred Genevieve, "Water Resources Assessment and Geographic Information System (GIS)-based Stormwater Runoff Estimates for Artificial Recharge of Freshwater Aquifers in New Providence, Bahamas" (2011). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 396.
http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/396