Evaluation of the Groundwater Quality of the Miocene Aquifer and its suitability for Domestic and Agriculture Purposes, West Nile Delta, Egypt

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate factors regulating groundwater quality in an area with agriculture as main use. Thirty three groundwater samples have been collected from the area between El-Sadat and El-Khatatba city. The study area covers an area of approximately 634 km2. Rapid development in recent years has led to an increased demand for water, which is increasingly being fulfilled by groundwater abstraction. A detailed knowledge of the water quality can enhance understanding of the hydrochemical system, to achieve this; a hydrochemical investigation was carried out in the study area. Groundwater samples were chemically analyzed for major physicochemical parameters in order to understand the different geochemical processes affecting the groundwater quality. The analytical results show higher concentration of total dissolved solids (21%), chloride (24%), and total hardness (30%), calcium (9%) and sodium (36.4%) which indicates signs of deterioration as compared with limits of WHO (2011) standards. On the other hand, 3% groundwater sample is unsuitable for irrigation purposes according to Soluble Sodium Percent (SSP) and Kelley’s Ratio (KR) represent 60% of samples are suitable based on irrigation quality parameters. The study revealed that application of fertilizer for agricultural contributing the higher concentration of ions in aquifer of Miocene.