Assessing Aquifer Water Level and Salinity for a Managed Artificial Recharge Site Using Reclaimed Water

Abstract

This study was carried out to examine the impact of an artificial recharge site on groundwater level and salinity using treated domestic wastewater for the Korba aquifer (north eastern Tunisia). The site is located in a semi-arid region affected by seawater intrusion, inducing an increase in groundwater salinity. Investigation of the subsurface enabled the identification of suitable areas for aquifer recharge mainly composed of sand formations. Groundwater flow and solute transport models (MODFLOW and MT3DMS) were then setup and calibrated for steady and transient states from 1971 to 2005 and used to assess the impact of the artificial recharge site. Results showed that artificial recharge, with a rate of 1500 m 3 /day and a salinity of 3.3 g/L, could produce a recovery in groundwater level by up to 2.7 m and a reduction in groundwater salinity by as much as 5.7 g/L over an extended simulation period. Groundwater monitoring for 2007-2014, used for model validation, allowed one to confirm that the effective recharge, reaching the water table, is less than the planned values.

Using Analytical Hierarchy Process and Multi-Influencing Factors to Map Groundwater Recharge Zones in a Semi-Arid Mediterranean Coastal Aquifer

“…The main compressive structures that bend in the northeast-southwest direction (Figure 2a) were generated during the Atlasique phase of the Upper Miocene [5,6,10,40]. These structures include: (1) Djebel Sidi Abderrahmene anticlinal, an elongated antiform parallel to the atlasic folds along the northeast-southwest direction; (2) Dakha synclinal, which contains the Korba coastal aquifer; (3) Menzel Temime anticlinal, which stretches along the Northeast-Southwest direction, beginning in the north of Nabel due to seismicity and ending at Korba.…”

“…There is a congestion of wells in the coastal part of the plain, which draws landward the freshwater-saltwater interface [8]. The spatial distribution of the piezometric heads measured in 1962, 1977, 2014 and 2018 are presented in Figure 3 The main compressive structures that bend in the northeast-southwest direction (Figure 2a) were generated during the Atlasique phase of the Upper Miocene [5,6,10,40]. These structures include: (1) Djebel Sidi Abderrahmene anticlinal, an elongated antiform parallel to the atlasic folds along the northeast-southwest direction; (2) Dakha synclinal, which contains the Korba coastal aquifer;…”

Application of the Systems Approach to the Management of Complex Water Systems

“…Horriche and Benabdallah [10], Lee and Kang [11], and Hattab et al [12] further the discussion to the applications of groundwater management, multipurpose reservoir operations, and urban drainage, respectively. The first paper examines the impact of an artificial recharge site on groundwater level and salinity using treated domestic wastewater for the Korba aquifer (north eastern Tunisia).…”

Comparing Q-Tree with Nested Grids for Simulating Managed River Recharge of Groundwater

“…Several countries have carried out aquifer recharge projects, including well infiltration, river recharge, and the refilling of gravel pits [1][2][3][4], to relieve groundwater level decreases and water resource shortages from groundwater overexploitation. The Ministry of Water Resources of the People's Republic of China started a new managed aquifer recharge projects using river and lake in 2019.…”