TY - JOUR
T1 - Evaluation of Managed Aquifer Recharge Scenarios using Treated Wastewater: a Case study of the Zarqa River Basin, Jordan
AU - El-Rawy, Mustafa
AU - Zlotnik, Vitaly
AU - Al-Maktoumi, Ali
AU - Al-Raggad, Marwan
AU - Kacimov, Anvar
AU - Abdalla, Osman
PY - 2016/4/1
Y1 - 2016/4/1
N2 - Jordan is an arid country, facing great challenges due to limited water
resources. The shortage of water resources constrains economy,
especially agriculture that consumes the largest amount of available
water (about 53 % of the total demand). According to the Jordan Water
Strategy 2008 - 2022, groundwater is twice greater than the recharge
rate. Therefore, the government charged the planners to consider treated
wastewater (TWW) as a choice in the water resources management and
development strategies. In Jordan, there are 31 TWW plants. Among them,
As Samra plant serving the two major cities, Amman and Zarqa, is the
largest, with projected maximum capacity of 135 Million m3/year. This
plant is located upstream of the Zarqa River basin that accepts all TWW
discharges. The Zarqa River is considered the most important source of
surface water in Jordan and more than 78 % of its current is composed of
TWW. The main objectives were to develop a conceptual model for a
selected part of the Zarqa River basin, including the As Samrapant, and
to provide insights to water resources management in the area using TWW.
The groundwater flow model was developed using MODFLOW 2005 and used to
assess changes in the aquifer and the Zarqa River under a set of
different increments in discharge rates from the As Samra plant and
different groundwater pumping rates. The results show that the water
table in the study area underwent an average water table decline of 29 m
prior to the As Samra plant construction, comparing with the current
situation (with annual TWW discharge of 110 Million m3). The analysis of
the TWW rate increase to 135 million m3/year (maximum capacity of the As
Samra plant) shows that the average groundwater level will rise 0.55 m,
compared to the current conditions. We found that the best practices
require conjunctive use management of surface- and groundwater. The
simulated scenarios highlight the significant role of TWW in augmenting
the aquifer storage, improving water availability, and better farming
activities in the Zarqa River valley. Keywords: Managed Aquifer
Recharge, Treated Wastewater, Zarqa River Basin, Jordan, MODFLOW 2005
Acknowledgments This study was funded by USAID-FABRI, project contract:
AID-OAA-TO-11-00049 (project codes: 1001626 - 104 and
1001624-12S-19745). First author acknowledges Sultan Qaboos University,
Oman for the postdoctoral fellowship. The authors acknowledge support of
the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, Jordan for providing access to the
data and field assistance.
AB - Jordan is an arid country, facing great challenges due to limited water
resources. The shortage of water resources constrains economy,
especially agriculture that consumes the largest amount of available
water (about 53 % of the total demand). According to the Jordan Water
Strategy 2008 - 2022, groundwater is twice greater than the recharge
rate. Therefore, the government charged the planners to consider treated
wastewater (TWW) as a choice in the water resources management and
development strategies. In Jordan, there are 31 TWW plants. Among them,
As Samra plant serving the two major cities, Amman and Zarqa, is the
largest, with projected maximum capacity of 135 Million m3/year. This
plant is located upstream of the Zarqa River basin that accepts all TWW
discharges. The Zarqa River is considered the most important source of
surface water in Jordan and more than 78 % of its current is composed of
TWW. The main objectives were to develop a conceptual model for a
selected part of the Zarqa River basin, including the As Samrapant, and
to provide insights to water resources management in the area using TWW.
The groundwater flow model was developed using MODFLOW 2005 and used to
assess changes in the aquifer and the Zarqa River under a set of
different increments in discharge rates from the As Samra plant and
different groundwater pumping rates. The results show that the water
table in the study area underwent an average water table decline of 29 m
prior to the As Samra plant construction, comparing with the current
situation (with annual TWW discharge of 110 Million m3). The analysis of
the TWW rate increase to 135 million m3/year (maximum capacity of the As
Samra plant) shows that the average groundwater level will rise 0.55 m,
compared to the current conditions. We found that the best practices
require conjunctive use management of surface- and groundwater. The
simulated scenarios highlight the significant role of TWW in augmenting
the aquifer storage, improving water availability, and better farming
activities in the Zarqa River valley. Keywords: Managed Aquifer
Recharge, Treated Wastewater, Zarqa River Basin, Jordan, MODFLOW 2005
Acknowledgments This study was funded by USAID-FABRI, project contract:
AID-OAA-TO-11-00049 (project codes: 1001626 - 104 and
1001624-12S-19745). First author acknowledges Sultan Qaboos University,
Oman for the postdoctoral fellowship. The authors acknowledge support of
the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, Jordan for providing access to the
data and field assistance.
M3 - Article
VL - 18
JO - EGU General Assembly 2016, held 17-22 April, 2016 in Vienna Austria
JF - EGU General Assembly 2016, held 17-22 April, 2016 in Vienna Austria
ER -