Calculating the Hydraulic Characteristics of Bai Hassan Aquifer in Erbil City/Northern Iraq

Abstract

Iraq lacks surface water resources, so groundwater extraction is prioritized to meet the demands of the industrial, agricultural, and domestic sectors. The chosen location is the Bai Hassan Formation’s major aquifer for the city of Erbil. The hydrogeological system in the study area within the central basin of the Erbil Plain, is considered the largest part of the basin and water reservoir, which is a confined aquifer. The study aims to describe the hydraulic characteristics of the limited characteristics of the aquifer in Erbil, northern Iraq. The wells that were studied are 300 m deep and penetrate the Bai Hassan Formation and Quaternary sediments. The general direction of the flow of Groundwater in the region is generally toward the western regions. Using methods of Jacob straight line and theis recovery methods, the results of the pumping test conducted in 5 wells without observation wells indicated a transmissivity values range between 80.295-299.6 m2 / day and hydraulic conductivity values range between 0.65-3.565 m/day and this reflects the wide horizontal and vertical variation in the layers of the reservoirs. The measured specific capacity for these wells ranges from 40.4 to 79.6 m2/day, and there is an inverse relationship between the specific capacity and well drawdown.