The interaction of faults with the groundwater flow regimen on an open pit is a challenge on the conceptualization and simulation. Having smaller cells on the faults alignment with higher K can represent the general behaviour of faults and this is possible to simulate with MODFLOW 6 Voronoi models with Flopy and mf6Voronoi package. We have created a tutorial that implements faults on the area of influence from an open pit and defines zone budgets for the pit and drainage network.

Model Muse is an awesome tool for groundwater model construction and output visualization, however its graphical capabilities are quite limited. Since we are always on the search of bringing groundwater model ‘close’ to the stakeholder, normal audience and coming generations, there is a special interest in providing complementary tools for the normal workflow with Model Muse and Modflow6 that allows the normal user to create awesome 3D objects representing:

This applied case presents a step-by-step methodology to simulate groundwater inflow into an open pit using MODFLOW 6—the groundwater flow modeling engine developed by the USGS—in combination with mv6Voronoi, a tool that generates Voronoi meshes.

Because an image is worth a thousand words, and 3D visualization is key for explaining, sharing, and analyzing groundwater model parameters, boundaries and results. The Python package mf6Voronoi offers a structured workflow to generate 3D spatial files on VTK format for the representation of the model parameters, water table, head distribution and others that can be plotted on Paraview. This is an applied case of 3D representation for a andean basin groundwater flow model where we are going to explore the relevant tools and options of mf6Voronoi and Paraview.

There is a plugin for Visual Studio Code that improves MODFLOW 6 model readability. The installation process is quite easy and works for any model without any additional setting or command. This is an applied case of the plugin installation and exploration of a MODFLOW 6  model for a andean basin.

An applied example of modeling the development of underground mine works with time based on a Voronoi mesh MOFLOW 6 model. The case consists of 5 mine levels developed over 5 years that cross the underground water body at determined lengths. The numerical model is developed with Python, Flopy and Mf6Voronoi for spatial discretization, implementation of the boundary conditions based on geospatial data, model build/simulation and 3d representation on Paraview.

Basic example of MODFLOW 6 groundwater flow modeling with Flopy. The model is multilayered and runs on transient conditions with the recharge, well and river boundary conditions implemented. The example also load model results and create head distributions with flow direction plots with Matplotlib.

The example runs entirely on the Google Colab platform with the use of a Github repository with the MODFLOW 6 executables. This workflow is intended to give a complete online experience of groundwater modeling without any particular computer/software requirement.

Even though that the version 5.2 was released on March 22 2024 we just found time to make a video explaning the new features of this version and where they are implemented on the graphical user interfase. This new version of Model Muse allows to simulate variable density and variable viscosity flow among other features of Modflow 6. Have a look on the video and wait for our comming applied tutorials related to these new features.