Changes in quality of groundwater with seasonal fluctuations: an example from Ghor Sari area, southern Dead Sea coastal aquifers, Jordan

The demand for water resources in the area south of the Dead Sea due to continued development, especially at the Arab Potash Company (APC) for production and domestic purposes necessitates that water quality in the area be monitored and evaluated based on     

A Stochastic Modeling Approach to Address Hydrogeologic Uncertainties in Modeling Wellhead Protection Boundaries in Karst Aquifers1

Abstract: Development of any numerical ground‐water model is dependent on hydrogeologic data describing the subsurface. These data are obtained from geologic core analyses, stratigraphic analyses, aquifer performance tests, and geophysical studies. But typically in remote areas, these types of data are very sparse and site‐specific in terms of the aerial extent of the resource to be modeled. Uncertainties exist as to how well the available data from a few locations defines a heterogeneous surficial aquifer such as the Biscayne Aquifer in Miami‐Dade County, Florida. This is particularly the case when an exceptionally conductive horizontal flow zone is detected at one site due to specialized testing that was not historically conducted at the other at sites that provided data for the model. Not adequately accounting for the potential effect of the high flow zone in the aquifer within a ground‐water numerical model, even though the zone may be of very limited thickness, might underpredict the well field protection capture boundaries. Applied Stochastic ground‐water modeling in determining well field protection zones is steadily becoming important in addressing the uncertainty of the hydrogeologic subsurface parameters, specifically in karstic heterogeneous aquifers. This is particularly important in addressing the uncertainty of a 60‐day travel time capture zone in the Northwest Well Field, Miami‐Dade County, where a predominantly high flow zone controls much of the flow in the production wells. A stochastic ground‐water modeling application along with combination of pilot points and regularization technique is presented to further consolidate the uncertainty of the subsurface.     

Occurrence of Volatile Organic Compounds in Aquifers of the United States1

Abstract: Samples of ambient ground water were collected during 1985‐2002 from 3,498 wells in 98 aquifer studies throughout the United States. None of the sampled wells were selected because of prior knowledge of nearby contamination. Most of these samples were analyzed for 55 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to characterize their national occurrence. Volatile organic compounds were found in samples collected from 90 of the 98 aquifer studies. Occurrence frequencies of one or more VOCs for the 98 aquifer studies ranged from 0 to about 77% at an assessment level of 0.2 microgram per liter (μg/l). The aquifer studies with the largest occurrence frequencies were in southern Florida, southern New York, southern California, New Jersey, and Nevada. Trihalomethanes and solvents were the most frequently occurring VOC groups. Of the 55 VOCs included in this assessment, 42 occurred in at least one sample at an assessment level of 0.2 μg/l. Chloroform, perchloroethene, and methyl tert‐butyl ether were the most frequently occurring VOCs. Many factors, such as the hydrogeology of the aquifer, use of VOCs, land use, and the transport and fate properties of VOCs, affect the occurrence of VOCs in ground water.     

淮北桃园煤矿北八采区煤系砂岩水水化学特征及其水源判别

桃园煤矿北八采区在开拓掘进过程中煤系砂岩多处出现涌水现象,且涌水量大、水温高、水质异常。为了判断北八采区砂岩水的水源,对矿井各含水层及北八采区砂岩水进行了系统采样,并对常规水化学指标进行了测试和分析。结果表明:北八采区煤系砂岩水与井田南部采区砂岩水水化学指标存在较大差异,而与奥灰水的水化学指标基本一致,该区"砂岩水"已不具有正常砂岩裂隙水的水质特征,具有奥灰水的水质特征,接受奥灰含水层水的补给。研究成果为该区"砂岩水"的防治提出了可靠的地质依据。     

IMPERVIOUSNESS: A PERFORMANCE MEASURE OF A DELAWARE WATER RESOURCE PROTECTION AREA ORDINANCE1

ABSTRACT: The New Castle County Resource Protection Area Technical Advisory Committee (RPATAC) requested that the University of Delaware utilize impervious cover estimates to evaluate the performance of the Water Resource Protection Area (WRPA) ordinance. This 1991 ordinance was the first in Delaware to protect the quantity and quality of drinking water supplies by limiting new development in WRPAs ‐ such as areas of ground water recharge, wellhead protection, drainage above reservoirs (reservoir watersheds), and limestone aquifers ‐ to a maximum 20 percent impervious cover. The research used geographic information system (GIS) techniques to evaluate the effectiveness of the ordinance in attaining its objective. The analysis indicated that 138 new developments were proposed in WRPAs since the ordinance was approved in 1991. The composite impervious cover of the 231 square kilometers of WRPAs in New Castle County is 15 percent, less than the 20 percent code requirement, ranging from 7 percent in recharge areas to 41 percent in several wellhead protection areas. To further protect drinking water supplies, the study results indicate, New Castle County should discourage code variances for applications in the more developed WRPAs, those where impervious cover already exceeds 20 percent, and should acquire parks and open space to protect the healthier WRPAs where impervious cover is currently less than 20 percent.     

AQUIFER MANAGEMENT UNDER TRANSIENT AND STEADY-STATE CONDITIONS1

ABSTRACT: The equations of transient and steady-state flow in two-dimensional artesian aquifers are approximated using finite differences. The resulting linear difference equations, combined with other linear physical and management constraints and a linear objective function, comprise a linear programming (LP) formulation. Solutions of such LP models are used to determine optimal well distributions and pumping rates to meet given management objectives for a hypothetical transient problem and for a steady-state field problem.     

STATUS AND PROSPECTS OF KAREZ IRRIGATION1

ABSTRACT: The karez is a traditional irrigation water source, consisting of hand-dug horizontal wells, that is still used in parts of South Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa. This paper describes the construction, management, and current problems of karez irrigation systems based on investigations conducted in Baluchistan Province, Pakistan. While karezes have served irrigation needs well in the past, they are now threatened by high costs of labor for construction and maintenance, and by the encroachment of tubewells which lower the water tables on which the karez systems depend. Possible methods for improving karez performance and needs for research are discussed.