Use of Numerical Groundwater Modeling to Assess the Feasibility of Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) in the Wadi Watir Delta, Sinai, Egypt

Abstract

The lack of water resources in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula is a major constraint for further socioeconomic development, and flash floods in this region can damage roads and infrastructure. The Wadi Watir basin is the main water source for the groundwater aquifer, which supplies fresh water to Nuweiba city, where demands for groundwater are increasing. The objective of this research was to assess the hydrogeological suitability of installing Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) systems in the Wadi Watir delta by using numerical groundwater models. The developed models were used to evaluate the effects of hydrogeological and operational parameters on the recovery efficiency of ASR systems at five potential locations in the study area. As the estimation of recovery efficiency depends on the salinity of recovered water, the recovered water salinity limit was assumed as 150% of the injected water salinity, where 150% refers to the point at which recovery has ended because the concentration of recovered water reached 150% of that of injected water. The most important output from the model runs was that the recovery efficiency of these ASR systems ranged from 25% to 54% with a longitudinal dispersivity of 10 m, volume of injected water of 12,000 m3, and storage period of 180 days. The main conclusions are as follows. 1) Using coupled numerical groundwater flow and solute transport models is an effective tool for predicting the effects of mixing between injected water and ambient groundwater in ASR systems. 2) The groundwater aquifer in the study area is not suitable as strategic area for ASR systems because the thickness of the water storage layer is relatively small and the distance to the sea is very close; consequently, it is recommended that artificial recharge systems be developed with existing technology to replenish the groundwater aquifer in the Wadi Watir delta.