Available at: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/3404
Date of Award
6-2026
Degree Name
MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering
Department/Program
Civil and Environmental Engineering
College
College of Engineering
Advisor
Misgana Muleta
Advisor Department
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Advisor College
College of Engineering
Abstract
Regional groundwater models built by consultants contain valuable calibrated frameworks but are often too large and complex for repeated local-scale analysis. Rather than rebuilding an entirely new smaller model, this study truncates the existing consultant-built regional model of the Monterey Subbasin, preserving the original grid structure and parameter framework while reducing the active domain to a manageable size for planning-level use. A key finding is that boundary-condition representation exerted a dominant influence on simulated groundwater behavior within the truncated domain, highlighting that truncation is a structural decision that meaningfully affects how the model responds. Model performance was evaluated two ways. Alternative hydraulic conductivity fields derived from AEM resistivity data were used to assess how sensitive the reconstructed model was to changes in internal parameter structure. Transient injection simulations produced cumulative groundwater mounding that grew progressively over repeated seasonal cycles, confirming realistic aquifer behavior and demonstrating the model's value as a practical and transparent planning-level tool.