Delineation of contamination zone using geophysical and hydrogeochemical methods around the El Moheet drain in the El Minia district, Upper Egypt

Abstract

The El Moheet drain of the El Minia district receives large amounts of waste water (e.g., agricultural, domestic, and sewage) from a number of lateral minor drains. This waste may represent the contamination sources in surface and groundwater aquifers through the seepage process. For the detection and delineation of this contamination zone, geochemical analyses, electrical resistivity, and self-potential (SP) measurements were carried out. Chemical analyses were performed on water samples collected from the drain and drilled wells. These analyses revealed that the water samples from both the El Moheet drain and the groundwater exhibited substantial concentrations of major and trace elements. The electrical data were interpreted through an iteration process using IX1D V3 software. High bulk electrical conductivity and SP anomalies were detected perpendicular to the drain in the nearly east to west direction, with increasing salt concentrations. Management of waste water in the El Moheet drain is strongly recommended for further protection of the groundwater aquifer if it is to be made suitable for different purposes.