Mapping of potential recharge areas in the watershed of the Boa Vista and Tenda streams in the Municipality of Uberlândia, State of Minas Gerais (Brazil)

Abstract

Water is an essential natural resource for the survival of living beings. However, changes resulting from the disorderly use of land alter the elements of the landscape and compromise water security. In this sense, The aim of this research was to map the potential areas for recharging watercourses in the watersheds of the Boa Vista and Tenda streams in the municipality of Uberlândia in the state of Minas Gerais (Brazil) using spatial analysis techniques, based on the mapping of land cover and land use, terrain slope and information on unconsolidated materials resulting from geology and soils. The research included the collection and selection of data, the construction of a cartographic base, the preparation of maps of terrain slope, land cover and use and information on unconsolidated materials. These maps were then weighted and overlaid using spatial analysis techniques to map the areas with natural and environmental potential for recharging watercourses, thus demonstrating the configuration of current and projected uses.  The identification of potential environmental areas for recharging watercourses showed that the physical-environmental aspects of these basins contribute significantly to the water availability of their watercourses. It was shown that the flat-topped areas, made up of deep unconsolidated materials with a medium to sandy textural class, originating from the detrital-lateritic cover, play a crucial role in recharging the local aquifer, ensuring that the flow of the streams in the area studied is maintained. In the configuration of the Projected Use for the land cover and use of the watersheds studied, where the urban expansion macro-zone was considered, it is clear that intervention in the potential natural recharge areas of the watercourses could generate water scarcity in the area.