Water Resources of the Basin and Range Carbonate-Rock Aquifer System, White Pine County, Nevada, and Adjacent Areas in Nevada and Utah

The eastern part of Morocco, surrounded by the High Atlas chain close to Errachidia, represents a very sensitive area in a semi-arid context. Average annual rainfall does not exceed 300 mm/year. Most of the regional water resources are linked to the aquifer systems in the Atlas area. The study site coincides with the Eastern Upper Guir Basin, one of the main rivers in Eastern Morocco. This basin is located close to the eastern border of the Moroccan High Atlas. The geology of the basin consists mainly of Jurassic and Cretaceous formations. The structure of the basin is strongly affected by the Atlasian tectonics. This results in successive large synclines separated by major W-E faults. The hydrogeological system of the basin is accordingly constituted by sub-basins associated with each syncline and separated by faulted anticlines, whose overlapping faults act as semi-impermeable barriers. This compartmentalization causes the very complex functioning of the whole system. The study undertaken, based on structural, meteorological, hydrogeological, hydrochemical and isotopic data, allowed us to advance significantly in the understanding of this system. The compartments behave as hydrogeological sub-units but remain interdependent on each other. The recharge of the aquifer system is essentially associated with the rains and snowfalls at high altitudes. This is consistent with the stable isotope results. Important development projects are planned in this region, associated with a drastic increase in water demands. Groundwater suitability was assessed using the WHO standards for drinking purposes and the SAR (sodium adsorption ratio) for irrigation. Complementary investigations should be considered to further the results presented here and move towards a quantitative assessment and management of the water resources.

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Advancement in Research of Hydrological Processes Simulation for Karst Region and Future Challenges

Advanced Materials Research ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.518-523.4104 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 518-523 ◽

pp. 4104-4110

Author(s):

Xian Meng Meng ◽

Bang Yang ◽

Xian Wu Xue

Keyword(s):

Water Resources ◽

Karst Aquifer ◽

Simulation Method ◽

Scientific Basis ◽

Hydrological Processes ◽

Karst Region ◽

Runoff Generation ◽

Aquifer System ◽

Mechanism Model ◽

Macro Scale

Hydrological processes simulation is an effective way for water resources evaluation and can provide scientific basis for sustainable utilization of water resources and ecological environment restoration. Compared with traditional watershed hydrological processes, hydrological processes in karst region have their unique in runoff generation and concentration stage because of the complexity and multiplicity of karst aquifer system. This paper reviews the two stages of hydrological processes simulation method in karst region: 1. systematic simulation model stage; 2. process based mechanism model stage. By analyzing the characteristics and limitation of two kinds of models, the tendency of future karst hydrological processes simulation method in two aspects are discussed: 1. quasi physically based model balancing physical senses and data richness; 2. scale adaptable model based on macro-scale applicable equations.

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Quality of Surface Water and Groundwater in Iraq

10.47260/jesge/1124 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 161-199

Author(s):

Nadhir Al-Ansari ◽

Sabbar Saleh ◽

Twana Abdullahand ◽

Salwan Ali Abed

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

Drinking Water ◽

Surface Water ◽

Water Resources ◽

Middle East ◽

Human Life ◽

Water Levels ◽

Aquifer System ◽

Surface Water And Groundwater

Insufficiency of water resources in the Middle East Region represents vital factors that influence the stability of the region and its progress. Expectations indicate that the condition will be dimmer and more complicated, especially in Iraqi territory. Iraq, which is situated in the Middle East, it covers an area of 433,970 square kilometers and populated by about 32 million inhabitants. Iraq greatly relies in its water resources on the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers as a surface water resources, and several productive groundwater aquifers in which from the hydrogeological point of view divided into several major aquifer units including Foothill, Al-Jazira, Aquifer System, Mandali-Badra-Teeb, Mesopotamian and Desert Aquifer system. Recently, Iraq is suffering from water shortage problems. This is due to external and internal factors affecting the water quality of water resources; they are controlled and uncontrolled factors. The uncontrolled factors are climate change and its consequences, such as reduction of precipitation and temperature increasing. The controlled factors have a significantly negative influence on water resources, but their effects involve more specific regions. The controlled factors are mainly represented by building dams and irrigation projects within the upper parts of the Tigris and Euphrates catchments, Al-Tharthar Scheme, waste water, solid wastes and wastes from wars, which has a significant effect on surface water in Iraq because about 80% of the water supply to Euphrates and Tigris Rivers come from Turkey. In addition, the pressures resulting from the high demand for water resources, and the continued decline in their quantity rates have led to major changes in the hydrological condition in Iraq during the past 30 years. The decrease in surface water levels and precipitation during these three decades reflects the drop in the levels of water reservoirs, lakes, and rivers to the unexpected levels. The level of main country’s water source, Tigris, and Euphrates Rivers has fallen to less than a third of its natural levels. As storage capacity depreciates, the government estimates that its water reserves have been reduced precariously. According to the survey from the Ministry of Water Resources, millions of Iraqi people have faced a severe shortage of drinking water. Since of the importance of water for human life and the need to monitor temporal and spatial changes in quality and quantity, there is a need to develop a general Iraqi Water Quality Index (Iraq WQI) to monitor surface water and groundwater and classify it into five categories, very good, good, acceptable, bad and very bad, in terms of suitability for domestics, irrigation and agriculture depending on the Iraqi and WHO standards for drinking water. In addition, strict establishment for the regular quantitative monitoring surface water and groundwater setting and processes. Prospects are more negative for all riparian countries. This implies that solving these problems requires actual and serious international, regional, and national cooperation to set a prudent plan for water resources management of the two basins. Iraq being the most affected country should seriously set a prudent, scientific, and strategic plan for the management and conservation of its water resources. Keywords: Pollution, Water Quality, Waste, Surface water, Groundwater, Iraq.

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