Hydrochemistry of surface water and groundwater from a fractured carbonate aquifer in the Helwan area, Egypt

Abstract

Groundwater is an important water resource in the Helwan area, not only for drinking and agricultural purposes, but also because several famous mineral springs have their origin in the fractured carbonate aquifer of the region. The area is heavily populated with a high density of industrial activities which may pose a risk for groundwater and surface water resources. The groundwater and surface water quality was investigated as a basis for more future investigations. The results revealed highly variable water hydrochemistry. High values of chloride, sulphate, hardness and significant mineralization were detected under the industrial and high-density urban areas. High nitrate contents in the groundwater recorded in the southern part of the study area are probably due to irrigation and sewage infiltrations from the sewage treatment station. The presence of shale and marl intercalation within the fissured and cavernous limestone aquifer promotes the exchange reactions and dissolution processes. The groundwater type is sodium, sulphate, chloride reflecting more mineralized than surface water. The results also showed that water in the study area (except the Nile water) is unsuitable for drinking purposes, but it can be used for irrigation and industrial purposes with some restrictions.

Evolution of geothermal systems around the Red Sea

“…Deep seated faults associated with horst and graben structures, developed due to rifting, are the main channels for fluid circulation. A similar situation is expected in other geothermal sites of Egypt (Zaher et al 2011;Abdalla and Scheytt 2012). Although high thermal anomalies have been reported, the surface temperature of the thermal sprigs vary between 36 and 41°C ) and hence they may be termed as hot springs.…”

Hydrochemical diversity of semi-natural water system on the background of environmental conditions

“…Pollution of this system waters, e.g. manifested in high conductivity, was comparable to the Boca Raton canal system (McKenzie 1995), although much less than the Sanganur (Kumari et al 2006) and El-Khashaba canals (Abdalla and Scheytt 2012). On the basis of the measured physico-chemical composition of the semi-natural water system, we performed a cluster analysis which confirmed its hydrochemical division into three parts: a natural river, a natural lake and an artificial lake (Fig.…”

Geoenvironmental study of alluvial aquifer in Upper Gangetic plain, a case study of J P Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, India

“…HCO 3 >Cl>SO 4 and HCO 3 >SO 4 >Cl having 36.7% contribution each, Cl>SO 4 >HCO 3 , Cl>HCO 3 >SO 4 and SO 4 >HCO 3 >Cl share the rest. High chloride and sulphate content in water may be attributed to the anthropogenic influence in the form of sewage or industrial discharge and application of fertilizers [12]. Bicarbonate source is more possibly from the CO 2 dissolution and minerals in the alluvium like plagioclase feldspar [13].…”