Three-dimensional modeling of steady-state flow in lake bank filtration – Brazil

Lake bank filtration (LBF) is an alternative technique of water catchment. LBF has been used by several countries for more than 100 years as pre-treatment for water supply and hydrogeological characterization studies. LBF studies are still recent and essentially focusing on water quality with little or no hydrogeological approach. The benefits obtained through this technique were the reason for the implementation of a pilot project on LBF in the lake banks of the ‘lake’ at the Federal University of Vicosa (UFV) in the city of Vicosa (MG), southeastern Brazil. Several hydrogeological studies were carried out in this research. In this article, we highlight the study by means of three-dimensional modeling of steady-state flow to know the characteristics of the aquifer and its interaction with the ‘lake’. The three-dimensional numerical model of steady-state flow was elaborated for interpretative and predictive purposes. The results demonstrated the potential of the LBF system and how it can be used as an alternative for the UFV campus. The exposed scenario can help the groundwater management in the study area.