Natural springs in northwest Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Several springs have been known in Saudi Arabia for hundreds of years on which many old settlements were dependent for both domestic uses and irrigation purposes. However, by the late 1980s, most of the springs in the central and eastern parts of the country dried up or ceased to flow as a result of extensive withdrawals of groundwater mainly for agricultural purposes. With the exception of some biological and religious studies, the previous studies on springs of Saudi Arabia have not mentioned any springs in the northwest region of the country. Therefore, the objectives of this study are to carry out a preliminary inventory to identify as many as possible of unrecognized springs in the northwest region of Saudi Arabia, to provide a scientific description and explanation of the current conditions of the identified springs, and to infer the spring flow sustainability. This study has identified, located, measured, and described a total of nine springs in the region.