Importance of Alternative Conceptual Model for Sustainable Groundwater Management of the Hat Yai Basin, Thailand

This study evaluates two sources of conceptual model uncertainty of a groundwater flow model for the Hat Yai Basin (HYB). Two hydrogeological interpretations and five boundary conditions are considered. Ten alternative conceptual models are proposed and implemented in a 3D-mathematical model (MODFLOW). Model uncertainty is evaluated through the information criteria based method. Study results show that the contribution of uncertainty in hydrogeological interpretation has more impact on groundwater system than the boundary conditions. Additionally, these results strongly indicate the importance of conceptual model uncertainty in groundwater modeling for sustainable groundwater management.