10  Foundational Texts in Hydrogeology

A running, linked list of foundational and classic texts in hydrogeology — textbooks, monographs, and papers that lab members have found useful as background reading.

These are papers we are compiling as a group. They reflect our own research interests and priorities, and are by no means an authoritative or comprehensive list!

10.1 Textbooks

• Groundwater — Freeze, R.A. and Cherry, J.A., 1979, Prentice-Hall
  Notes

  The classic hydrogeology textbook, now free to read online (in multiple languages) courtesy of The Groundwater Project.
• Applied Hydrogeology — Fetter, C.W., 2001, 4th ed., Prentice Hall
  Notes

  A widely used applied hydrogeology textbook covering flow, well hydraulics, and contaminant transport; available to borrow via the Internet Archive.
• Applied Groundwater Modeling: Simulation of Flow and Advective Transport — Anderson, M.P., Woessner, W.W. and Hunt, R.J., 2015, 2nd ed., Academic Press
  Notes

  The standard reference on the groundwater modeling process, from conceptual model to MODFLOW implementation to calibration and uncertainty analysis.

10.2 Peer-Reviewed Papers

10.2.1 Regional Groundwater Flow Theory

• A Theoretical Analysis of Groundwater Flow in Small Drainage Basins — Tóth, J., 1963, Journal of Geophysical Research, 68(16), 4795–4812
  Notes

  The founding paper of regional groundwater flow theory, establishing the local/intermediate/regional flow system framework that underlies most modern conceptual models of basin-scale groundwater flow.
• Theoretical Analysis of Regional Groundwater Flow: 1. Analytical and Numerical Solutions to the Mathematical Model — Freeze, R.A. and Witherspoon, P.A., 1966, Water Resources Research, 2(4), 641–656
  Notes

  Companion work to Tóth (1963), using numerical simulation to explore how topography and geology control regional flow patterns; first of a three-part series.
• Theoretical Analysis of Regional Groundwater Flow: 2. Effect of Water-Table Configuration and Subsurface Permeability Variation — Freeze, R.A. and Witherspoon, P.A., 1967, Water Resources Research, 3(2), 623–634
  Notes

  Examines how water-table shape and permeability heterogeneity control the development of local vs. regional flow systems.
• Theoretical Analysis of Regional Groundwater Flow: 3. Quantitative Interpretations — Freeze, R.A. and Witherspoon, P.A., 1968, Water Resources Research, 4(3), 581–590
  Notes

  Closes out the series with quantitative interpretation of flow patterns, tying the numerical results back to field-scale hydrogeology.

10.2.2 Decision Analysis & Value of Information

• Hydrogeological Decision Analysis: 1. A Framework — Freeze, R.A., Massmann, J., Smith, L., Sperling, T. and James, B., 1990, Ground Water, 28(5), 738–766
  Notes

  The first in a four-part series applying decision analysis to hydrogeological engineering design problems.
• Hydrogeological Decision Analysis: 2. Applications to Ground-Water Contamination — Massmann, J., Freeze, R.A., Smith, L., Sperling, T. and James, B., 1991, Ground Water, 29(4), 536–548
  Notes

  Extends the decision-analysis framework to remediation design under contamination.
• Hydrogeological Decision Analysis: 4. The Concept of Data Worth and Its Use in the Development of Site Investigation Strategies — Freeze, R.A., James, B., Massmann, J., Sperling, T. and Smith, L., 1992, Ground Water, 30(4), 574–588
  Notes

  Introduces the concept of data worth for designing cost-effective site investigation and monitoring programs.

10.3 Technical Reports

• Approaches to Highly Parameterized Inversion—A Guide to Using PEST for Groundwater-Model Calibration — Doherty, J.E. and Hunt, R.J., 2010, USGS Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5169
  Notes

  The standard practical guide to regularized inversion and PEST-based calibration of groundwater models; foundational for our modeling workflow.