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Deltares uses MODFLOW 6 as modelling core for ground water modelling research. For the pre- and post-processing of these (un)structured models, Deltares developed iMOD Suite, a set of modules designed to efficiently build, manage, and visualize MODFLOW 6 groundwater models.

MODFLOW 6 is a widely used open-source modelling framework developed by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). For over 40 years, it has supported academic research, government policy, and consulting practices worldwide with reliable simulations of groundwater flow.

Cooperation Deltares and USGS on MODFLOW 6

Since 2017, Deltares has partnered with the USGS to co-develop the MODFLOW 6 source code, contributing to its performance, usability, and integration with other models.

Roles of Deltares in the MODFLOW 6 team

  • Advice on software architecture
  • Maintenance and releases (e.g. Improved accuracy in solute transport)
  • Development of new features (e.g. for Dutch community)
  • Knowledge sharing in pre- and postprocessing (e.g. Flopy and iMOD Python)
  • Training, Documentation, Publications

Main achievements of co-creation

  1. Parallelisation of MODFLOW 6: Deltares was commissioned by the USGS to implement parallel computing in MODFLOW 6, significantly reducing simulation runtimes for complex models.
  2. Development of the MODFLOW API: The MODFLOW API, an extension of the Basic Model Interface (BMI), allows MODFLOW 6 to be seamlessly coupled with models from other domains, such as:
    1. MetaSWAP (unsaturated zone, Wageningen University & Research)
    2. Ribasim (surface water systems, Deltares)
    3. D-Flow FM (hydrodynamic simulation module, Deltares)

This integration enables more comprehensive water system modelling, especially for regional planning and management.

Figure: Coupling of MODFLOW 6 and D-Flow FM using the MODFLOW API for Long Island, NY. Left: groundwater model with the water table. Right: coastal discharge of the groundwater model resulting from the exchange with the overlying D-Flow FM model (inset).
Figure: Parallel computing with MODFLOW 6. Left: partitioning of the national groundwater model for the conterminous United States (CONUS). Right: Case study in the Netherlands with a parallel MODFLOW 6 model deploying quadtree refinement of the grid.

More information about MODFLOW 6

  • The current version (including documentation, executables and test problems) is available for download via the MODFLOW 6 download page.
  • For the development repository with all branches of ongoing MODFLOW 6 developments visit the MODFLOW 6 development page on GitHub.
  • Visit the MODFLOW 6 homepage for a complete overview, including release notes and publications.
  • For more information about our MODFLOW 6 pre- and postprocessing modules, visit the iMOD Suite homepage.

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