Groundwater Quality of Disi-Aquifer in Southern Jordan

Mehaysen Ahmed Mahasneh^1,

¹Chemical Engineering Department, Al-Huson University Collage, Al-Balq'a Applied University

Cite this paper

Mehaysen Ahmed Mahasneh. Groundwater Quality of Disi-Aquifer in Southern Jordan. American Journal of Water Resources. 2017; 5(5):152-161. doi: 10.12691/AJWR-5-5-3

Abstract

The aquifer is composed of rock units overlaying the basement complex of the Precambrian ERA are subdivided into two groups: the upper group is called Khreim group, and the lower group is the Rum group. These formations are Saleb, Burj, Umm Ishrin, Disi, and Umm Sahm formations. The rock formations constituting the Rum group compose the Rum aquifer system, which dominates the fresh water aquifer system in southern Jordan which the aquifer system in southern Jordan which the rock formations constituting the Khreim group represent the confining layer where Sahl Suwaan formation occur. The Disi aquifer, which is the main source of water for Mudawara Region, is one of the most permeable and productive Sandstone aquifers in the Jordan. The groundwater flows from the Saudi Arabia in the South towards North East Jordan in central Jordan. The Rum aquifer system represents an unconfined aquifer system in the area in which no deposition of Khreim group where Khreim group overlies the Rum sandstone deposits. The most important feature of the Rum aquifer is its homogeneity in the grain size ranges between 0.25mm to 0.51mm sand, the uniformity coefficient ranges between 1.36 to 2.19 at different formations depth between 330m to 520m, medium to fine and medium to coarse uniformly graded sand of different formations. The large transmissivity of the Disi aquifer is indicated between 541 to 656 m² /day of yielding wells and the storage coefficient in the range 0.0199 to 0.0260, the specific capacity in range 5.9 to 7.11 l /s /m. The obtained results were found to be corresponded to the unconfined nature of in the encountered aquifers in A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, A7, A8, and B1, B2, B3, B4 wells, and this is clearly indicated in the storage coefficient (specific yield) of this aquifer in these wells. The results of water sample analyses show water quality is excellent and acceptable for drinking purposes, according to the Jordanian water standard 2008, and EU drinking water standard 1998.

Keywords

aquifer, rum, Southern Jordan, drinking, turbidity, Sahl Suwaan, water quality, water level, sand stone

Copyright

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