Water resources have been increasingly impacted due to the growth of water demand associated with environmental degradation. In this context, the mapping of groundwater recharge potential has become attractive to water managers as it can be used to direct public policies and conserve this natural asset. The present study modifies (improves) a spatially explicit model to determine groundwater recharge potential at the catchment scale, testing it in the Pandeiros River basin located in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The model is generally based on the water balance approach and the input variables were compiled from institutional sources and processed in a Geographic Information System. The novelty brought by the aforementioned modification relates to the coupling of physical variables (conventional way) and land management practices (introduced here) in the estimation of a percolation factor. The role of land management practices for percolation was assessed by the so-called Conservative Use Potential (PUC) method, which classifies the areas of a river basin in terms of their potential for sustainable use. The results were validated by an independent method, namely the recession curve method based on the interpretation of hydrographs. In general, the groundwater recharge potential is favored in flat to gently undulating areas and forested regions, as well as where the landscape is characterized by well-structured soils, good drainage conditions and large hydraulic conductivity. The map of groundwater recharge potential produced in this study can be used by planners and decision makers in the Pandeiros River basin as a tool to achieve sustainable use of groundwater resources and the protection of recharge areas.

中文翻译：

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基于保守利用潜力概念的地下水补给评价改进模型：巴西米纳斯吉拉斯州潘代罗斯河流域的研究

由于与环境退化相关的用水需求的增长，水资源受到越来越大的影响。在这种情况下，地下水补给潜力的测绘对水资源管理者很有吸引力，因为它可以用来指导公共政策和保护这种自然资产。本研究修改（改进）了一个空间明确模型，以确定流域尺度的地下水补给潜力，并在位于巴西米纳斯吉拉斯州的 Pandeiros 河流域进行测试。该模型通常基于水平衡方法，输入变量是从机构来源编制的，并在地理信息系统中进行处理。上述修改带来的新颖性与物理变量（传统方式）和土地管理实践（此处介绍）在渗透因子估计中的耦合有关。土地管理实践对渗透的作用通过所谓的保守使用潜力 (PUC) 方法进行评估，该方法根据可持续利用潜力对流域区域进行分类。结果由独立的方法验证，即基于水文过程线解释的衰退曲线方法。一般来说，地下水补给潜力有利于平坦到平缓起伏的地区和森林地区，以及具有结构良好的土壤、良好的排水条件和较大的水力传导率的景观。