Abstract
The Wadi Watir delta in the Wadi Watir watershed is a tourist area in the arid southeastern part of the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, where development and growth of the community on the delta are constrained by the amount of groundwater that can be withdrawn sustainably. To effectively manage groundwater resources in the Wadi Watir delta, the origin of groundwater recharge, groundwater age, and changes in groundwater chemistry in the watershed needs to be understood. Mineral identification, rock chemistry, water chemistry, and the isotopes of hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon in groundwater were used to identify the sources, mixing, and ages of groundwater in the watershed and the chemical evolution of groundwater as it flows from the upland areas in the watershed to the developed areas at the Wadi Watir delta. Groundwater in the Wadi Watir watershed is primarily from recent recharge while groundwater salinity is controlled by mixing of chemically different waters and dissolution of minerals and salts in the aquifers. The El Shiekh Attia and Wadi El Ain areas in the upper Wadi Watir watershed have different recharge sources, either from recharge from other areas or from different storm events. The downgradient Main Channel area receives groundwater flow primarily from the El Shiekh Attia area. Groundwater in the Main Channel area is the primary source of groundwater supplying the aquifers of the Wadi Watir delta.
Highlights
In the past decade, rapid development in the Wadi Watir delta, in the Wadi Watir watershed, Gulf of Aqaba, Sinai Peninsula, Egypt (Fig. 1), primarily related to tourism, has resulted in increased demand on groundwater resources
A detailed groundwater flow model was developed and calibrated for the Wadi Watir watershed using average annual recharge estimates and groundwater discharge measured for the well field and Furtaga Springs in the main channel
This modeling effort produced a water balance based on estimated groundwater recharge, measured groundwater discharge, and model calibration based on water levels with an average annual recharge value of 1.58 9 106 m3/year, for 1982–2009 (Eissa et al 2013)
Summary
Rapid development in the Wadi Watir delta, in the Wadi Watir watershed, Gulf of Aqaba, Sinai Peninsula, Egypt (Fig. 1), primarily related to tourism, has resulted in increased demand on groundwater resources. Groundwater beneath the Wadi Watir delta is the main source of potable water for this area. The chemical and isotopic methods used in this study to delineate groundwater resources in the Sinai Peninsula area of Egypt are applicable to other similar hydrogeological settings throughout the world in arid to semi-arid environments. The Wadi Watir watershed is located in the southeastern part of the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt (Fig. 1). Wadi Watir Watershed Aqaba RED SEA Scale 40 Km. Gulf of MEDITERRANEAN Cairo SINAI STUDY AREA EGYPT El Shiekh Attia
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