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Abstract:
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Watershed characterization studies in southeastern Honduras are being conducted by the Center for Water Research at the University of Texas at San Antonio, the National Autonomous University of Honduras and several non-governmental entities.
The major emphasis is the application of a Decision Support System for Village Water Resources (DSSVWR) developed as a research project at UTSA to determine sustainable water supplies in remote areas of Honduras. In order to quantify water resources available on a seasonal basis, drainage basins were delineated and characterized by precipitation, runoff characteristics, soil type, land use and geology. Drainage basins were studied for potential for groundwater yield from extensive Miocene ignimbrite sequences and alluvial deposits in numerous structural and erosional valleys. Two types of regional aquifers were identified; ignimbrite sequences with low potential yields and excellent alluvial aquifers in valleys. Ground-water investigations included geophysical resisitivity surveys. Because of the heterogeneous nature of both the ignimbrite sequences and the alluvial deposits, results from apparent resistivities from dipole-dipole arrays could be readily plotted on transverse cross sections indicating depth to water table. Input from these hydrologic studies will be used in the DSS to estimate yields on a seasonal basis from various sources for individual watersheds in rural Honduras.
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