Groundwater Quality and Potentiality of Moghra Aquifer, Northwestern Desert, Egypt

Abstract

The greatest challenge facing Egypt in the last decade is to create new communities in new areas due to the rapid increase in the human population. Egypt has vast areas of desert lands all over the country. Moghra is an area at the northeastern tip of the Qattara Depression that remnants of a larger paleolake. It is a part of the national mega reclamation project called “One and Half Million Feddan”. It is planned to reclaim 105,000 ha (250,000 Fadden, 1 Fadden = 4200 km2) using groundwater in Moghra. Assessment of the Moghra aquifer system has great importance as it is the main source of agriculture in the region. The present chapter aims mainly to investigate the hydrogeological characteristics of the Moghra aquifer using geophysical methods and geochemical analysis of the groundwater. The water samples were collected from 140 productive wells to determine the physicochemical characteristics of the groundwater. Also, it is focused on the analysis and interpretation of the well logging data for 48 deep productive wells. Well logging was used to determine the variations in thickness for sedimentary deposits that affect the quality of groundwater. The physical properties of the Moghra aquifer such as groundwater potentiality, formation water resistivity, formation factor, porosity, and effective porosity, volume of shale, permeability, and formation density are included. The salinity of groundwater ranges between 3,090 and 5,350 ppm with an average of 4,220 ppm. The high salinity is due to the effect of saline lakes as well as the seepage of saltwater from the Mediterranean Sea, low recharge of groundwater and leaching of clay and shale lenses. The pH values of the groundwater range between 7.2 and 8.7. Sodium is the dominant cation compared to others followed by calcium and magnesium, increasing percentage of sodium ion due to interference of seawater.