Groundwater Stations Research Articles

Sustainability assessment of groundwater in south-eastern parts of the western region of Ghana for water supply

The study assessed the physicochemical and biological properties of selected groundwater sources in the Southeastern part of the Western Region, to assess the impact on water quality and health risk. The Piper Trilinear plot was used to categorize the water samples into water types based on the dominant anion and cation concentrations. Statistical analysis (One way ANOVA and two sample t-test) was used to determine the sources of variation in the data at 95% confidence interval. The Water Quality Index (WQI) and Hazard Quotient (HQ) were used to estimate the water quality and health risk respectively. TDS and turbidity were above the acceptable WHO guidelines in 16.7% of the samples with a mildly acidic pH in 83.3% of the water samples. Also, 91.7% of the water samples were contaminated with total coliform (TC) and 25% with e-coli. Generally, the groundwater samples were dominated by Ca2+ and HCO3- ion water types. The variations between parameters were found not significant for all the parameters (p>0.05). Water samples in the North are of good quality with a mean WQI of 96, but of poor quality in the South with a mean WQI of 144.6. HQ values for all the samples were less than 0.1, suggesting less harmful impacts of the heavy metal concentrations on human health. Overall, the results showed the presence of heavy metals in the groundwater sources sampled, however in quantities with low health risks either through oral or dermal channels. Groundwater within the communities is good for domestic purposes but needs treatment for drinking. To improve upon the study, it is recommended that further studies consider a higher number of samples and include other accessible groundwater stations where possible.

Analyzing trends and change points in hydro-meteorological parameters and groundwater level in the Barak river basin in India

Climate change has a substantial influence on a range of meteorological factors and the global hydrological cycle. This paper presents an analysis of the annual rainfall (P), temperature (including maximum temperature: Tmax, minimum temperature: Tmin, and average temperature: Tavg), stream flow (Q) data from 6 gauging sites, and groundwater level (GL) data from 7 groundwater stations in and around the Barak River Basin in India from 1986 to 2020. To identify patterns in the time series, the simple linear regression (SLR) approach, the Mann-Kendall (MK) test, the Hamid Mann-Kendall (HMK) test and the Spearman's Rho (SRO) tests have been employed. Pettit test has been used to identify the change points in the time series. The results indicated an increase in the Tmax and the Tmin across the study area, while no clear patterns were found in the Tavg time series. Except for the ‘Hailakhandi’ station, the annual total rainfall series showed an increasing trend. Tmax and Tmin showed a directional change point between 1999 and 2005, and between 2001 and 2007, respectively, according to change point analysis. Except for two stations, overall declining trends in the annual stream flow were found. Moreover, a total of five out of seven groundwater stations indicated a rise in groundwater levels. The findings presented here offer valuable insights into the current condition of the Barak basin and emphasize the importance of implementing sustainable water management practices.

Groundwater recharge estimation using chloride mass balance method on the southern slope of Merapi Volcano, Indonesia

Groundwater is a main resource for the majority of Indonesian people as a source of clean water to meet their daily needs. The increase in groundwater use is unavoidable due to increasing development in Indonesia, especially in Yogyakarta. Groundwater recharge is important in the hydrological cycle to meet groundwater needs. Therefore, this study aims to estimate groundwater recharge by the chloride mass balance (CMB) method on the southern slope of Merapi Volcano in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. This research was conducted in the rainy and dry seasons from August 2022 until January 2023. This research collects annual rainfall near the study area from the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) Yogyakarta station, monthly data collected from eighteen samples of groundwater station, and monthly data collected from fifteen samples of rainwater in the study area. The chemical content of groundwater and rainwater samples is analyzed using argentometry to obtain chloride concentration. The result of annual rainfall in the study area is 3,603.878 mm/year. The average chloride concentration in rainwater is 1.1 mg/L, while the average chloride concentration in groundwater is 8.015 mg/L. The CMB method calculation showed that the recharge in the study area ranges from 171.65 to 1,711.29 mm/year. The groundwater recharge has a positive correlation with elevation and rainfall. High groundwater recharge is also found in the northern area due to fractured lava aquifer.

Groundwater Level Trend Analysis and Prediction in the Upper Crocodile Sub-Basin, South Africa

Disasters related to climate change regarding water resources are on the rise in terms of scale and severity. Therefore, predicting groundwater levels (GWLs) is a crucial means to aid adaptive capacity towards disasters related to climate change in water resources. In this study, a Gradient Boosting (GB) regression modelling approach for GWL prediction as a function of rainfall and antecedent GWL is used. A correlation analysis carried out from 2011 to 2020 demonstrated that monthly GWLs can be predicted by antecedent GWLs and rainfall. The study also sought to understand the long-term effects of climate events on groundwater levels over the study area through a Mann–Kendall (MK) trend analysis. A total of 50% of the groundwater stations revealed declining trends, while 25% had no trends and the other 25% showed an increasing trend. Again, the correlation analysis results were used in justifying the trends. The GB predictive model performed satisfactorily for all groundwater stations, with the MSE values ranging from 0.03 to 0.304 and the MAE varying from 0.12 to 0.496 in the validation period. The R2 ranged from 0.795 to 0.902 for the overall period. Therefore, based on projected rainfall and antecedent groundwater levels, future GWLs can be predicted using the GB model derived in this study.

Use of wood and cork in biofilters for the simultaneous removal of nitrates and pesticides from groundwater

About 13% and 7% of monitored groundwater stations in Europe exceed the permitted levels of nitrates (50 mg NO3− L−1) or pesticides (0.1 μg L−1), respectively. Although slow sand filtration can remove nitrates via denitrification when oxygen is limited, it requires an organic carbon source. The present study evaluates the performance of the use of wood pellets and granulated cork as carbon sources in bench-scale biofilters operated under water-saturated and water-unsaturated conditions for more than 400 days. The biofilters were monitored for nitrate (200 mg L−1) and pesticide (mecoprop, diuron, atrazine, and bromacil, each at a concentration of 5 μg L−1) attenuation, as well as for the formation of nitrite and pesticide transformation products. Microbiological characterization of each biofilter was also performed. The water-saturated wood biofilter achieved the best nitrate removal (>99%), while the cork biofilters lost all denitrification power over time (from 38% to no removal). The unsaturated biofilter columns were not effective for removing nitrates (20–30% removal). As for pesticides, all the biofilters achieved high removal rates of mecoprop and diuron (>99% and >75%, respectively). Atrazine removal was better in the wood-pellet biofilters than the cork ones (68–96% vs. 31–38%). Bromacil was only removed in the water-unsaturated cork biofilter (67%). However, a bromacil transformation product was formed there. The water-saturated wood biofilter contained the highest number of denitrifying microorganisms, with Methyloversatilis as the characteristic genus. Microbial composition could explain the high removal of pesticides and nitrates achieved in the wood-pellet biofilter. Overall, the results indicate that wood-pellet biofilters operated under water-saturated conditions are a good solution for treating groundwater contaminated with nitrates and pesticides.

PECULIARITIES OF FRESHWATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT: NATIONAL AND EUROPEAN EXPERIENCE AND CURRENT TRENDS

The subject of the study is the current features of freshwater management in European countries and experience for Ukraine. Methodology. The study used general scientific methods, in particular: theoretical generalization; methods of positive and normative analysis and statistical analysis. The goal is to study the European experience in freshwater management and adapt it for Ukraine. Research conclusion. An analysis of the water supply of European households has been carried out and it has been found that there is no "water stress" under such conditions. However, with the global water scarcity resulting from population growth and urbanization, particularly tourism, in recent years, negative factors have particularly affected water use in small Mediterranean islands and in densely populated areas. To stabilize this situation, EU member states have been asked to report on each of the monitoring stations that have been removed from their monitoring network, the reason for such removal and the alternative stations installed in case of persistent pollution. It was found that trends can be calculated for 83% of groundwater stations (so far only 20% in Sweden) and 75% of surface water stations (but less than 50% for Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Malta, Slovakia and Sweden). The importance of freshwater and seawater remediation measures by EU Member States under Directive 24 to reduce the impact of eutrophication caused by nitrates or phosphorus is stressed. It was found that European integration strategies in the field of environmental protection are characterized by improving water quality and water management; environmental management and integration of environmental policies; ensuring air quality; waste management; reducing the use of genetically modified organisms. It is justified that to assess the effectiveness of the implementation of the environmental component (natural environment) in the Association Agreement, the authors will analyze Ukraine on the index of environmental performance (The Environmental Performance Index), which provides a quantitative basis for comparison, analysis and understanding of environmental indicators in 180 countries.

Purification treatment of polluted groundwater using wheat straw inoculated with microalgae

Water quality monitoring has been widely used as an early warning approach in managing water resources. In arid zones, severe freshwater scarcity is threatening the sustainability of the drinking water supply and causing huge stress on water demand. Groundwater was studied for different pollutants in four groundwater pumping stations in Saudi Arabia in the spring, summer, autumn, and winter. The results were highly variable, but in general, the concentrations in groundwater were higher than recommended by WHO for human consumption. Total dissolved solids, nutrients, salinity, and heavy metals (Mn, Cu, Cr, and Pb) were higher than recommended for most groundwater stations. Turbidity, dissolved CO2, COD, total hardness, chloride, calcium, magnesium, phosphate, sulfate, manganese, and chromium tended to be highest in summer. A purification experiment using wheat straw beds that were inoculated with the microalgae Ulothrix sp. was carried out in 25 L containers. The microalgae-straw bed treatment removed most of the polluting components from the groundwater of the four stations collected in four seasons and the concentrations settled to acceptable levels. The significance of the study lies in the practical groundwater treatment that offers an economical and sustainable technique to purify groundwater from harmful polluting compounds.

Spatial distribution of stable isotopes (18O and 2H) in precipitation and groundwater in Iran

ABSTRACT Iran is a semi-arid and arid country which always faces a water shortage crisis. Thus, the water resources in Iran should be studied by accurate methods such as stable isotope techniques. In precipitation sampling stations across Iran, the δ 18O (ranges from −16.3 to −0.3 ‰, −4.9 ‰ average), δ 2H (−114 to –13 ‰, −24.2 ‰ average) and d-excess (−2.1 to –22.7, 16.5 ‰ average) values are higher compared to δ 18O (ranges from −10.9 to −3.1 ‰, −6.7 ‰ average), δ 2H (−71 to −6 ‰, −37.4 ‰ average) and d-excess (1.0 to –21.6 ‰, 14.9 ‰ average) values in groundwater stations. Stable isotope distribution maps in precipitation and groundwater were also developed for Iran. The stepwise technique was used to study the role of parameters influencing stable isotopes in Iran precipitation. Results show the dominant role of temperature, elevation and latitude as well as ‘cP and MedT’ air masses mixture on stable isotope values in precipitation. Furthermore, the contribution percentage of each air mass which influences Iran in groundwater resources recharge was studied using ‘Simmr’ package in R programming language. Finally, the accuracy of the developed stable isotope distribution maps was validated.

Combining Site Characterization, Monitoring and Hydromechanical Modeling for Assessing Slope Stability

Rainfall-induced landslides are a disastrous natural hazard causing loss of life and significant damage to infrastructure, farmland and housing. Hydromechanical models are one way to assess the slope stability and to predict critical combinations of groundwater levels, soil water content and precipitation. However, hydromechanical models for slope stability evaluation require knowledge about mechanical and hydraulic parameters of the soils, lithostratigraphy and morphology. In this work, we present a multi-method approach of site characterization and investigation in combination with a hydromechanical model for a landslide-prone hillslope near Bonn, Germany. The field investigation was used to construct a three-dimensional slope model with major geological units derived from drilling and refraction seismic surveys. Mechanical and hydraulic soil parameters were obtained from previously published values for the study site based on laboratory analysis. Water dynamics were monitored through geoelectrical monitoring, a soil water content sensor network and groundwater stations. Historical data were used for calibration and validation of the hydromechanical model. The well-constrained model was then used to calculate potentially hazardous precipitation events to derive critical thresholds for monitored variables, such as soil water content and precipitation. This work introduces a potential workflow to improve numerical slope stability analysis through multiple data sources from field investigations and outlines the usage of such a system with respect to a site-specific early-warning system.

Spatiotemporal Variation of the Meteorological and Groundwater Droughts in Central Taiwan

In recent years, Taiwan has been facing severe water shortages due to extreme drought. In addition, changes in rainfall patterns have resulted in an increasingly notable drought phenomenon, which affects the management and utilization of water resources. Therefore, this work examines basins in Central Taiwan. Long-term records from 13 rainfall and 17 groundwater stations were selected. The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and Standardized Groundwater Level Index (SGI) were used to analyze the drought characteristics of this region. The rainfall and groundwater level data from basins in Central Taiwan were analyzed in this study. The results show that the year 2015 experienced extreme drought conditions due to a correlation with SPI and SGI signals. In addition, with regard to groundwater drought, more drought events occurred in the Da'an River basin; however, the duration and intensity of these events were relatively low, in contrast to those of the Wu River basin. Finally, the correlation between SPI and SGI was observed to vary in different basins, but a certain degree of correlation was observed in all basins. The results show that drought intensity increases with longer drought durations. Moreover, severe droughts caused by rainfall tend to occur at a greater frequency than those caused by groundwater.

A novel LUMNAqSoP approach for prioritising groundwater monitoring stations for implementation of the Nitrates Directive

BackgroundThe Nitrates Directive (ND) is an EU anti-pollution legislative that, for almost 30 years, has controlled and protected hydro-resources against excessive levels of nitrates originating from agroecosystems, striving to prevent the further exacerbation of the nitrates in aquatic environments. ND sets several principal goals that member states must accomplish, such as performing spatiotemporal nitrate analyses in ground/surface water networks to achieve national water quality monitoring programme.ResultsIn this study, using the novel LUMNAqSoP approach, the prioritisation of 151 candidate groundwater stations for ND monitoring in Croatia was performed. The LUMNAqSoP integratively evaluates: (i) the most dominant loads from the agroecosystem (land use and management, net nitrogen application) and (ii) environmental (aquifer and soil) vulnerabilities and sensitivities of groundwater resources to nitrate pollution. By comparing stations which scored the most agro-environmental loads vs. the data from water stations containing elevated mean nitrate concentrations (from existing monitoring programmes) a very good agreement was confirmed. Moreover, deviations close to large urban zones were detected, suggesting that elevated nitrates in groundwaters in those areas likely originated from municipal/industrial rather than agricultural sources; however, further studies are needed for elucidation.ConclusionsThe presented approach can serve as a useful tool to policy makers and regulators for: (i) more efficient and reliable establishment of water monitoring programme pursuant to ND, as well as (ii) better management and shaping (designating/derogating) of nitrate-vulnerable zones, especially in diverse environmental conditions and dynamic agroecosystems as have been confirmed in recent decades across the EU member states.

Basic study on development of the radon measurement system in groundwater stations for the seismic monitoring and prediction

Basic study on development of the radon measurement system in groundwater stations for the seismic monitoring and prediction

Groundwater Vulnerability in the Piedmont Region under Climate Change

Groundwater vulnerability has increased in recent decades due to several factors, but mainly due to climate change. In this study, we applied a complex approach to determine groundwater vulnerability at a regional scale in the Piedmont region including high-resolution climate models. Aquifers, terrain model, climate data, land cover, and groundwater monitoring stations data of nitrate (NO3) concentration were the main layers used for the vulnerability and risk mapping. Validation of the groundwater vulnerability map consisted of pixel pair comparison (PPC) using the quality status of a monitored groundwater station, dating from 2005 to 2012. The groundwater vulnerability maps that related to the 1990s and 2020s periods indicated very high and high vulnerability of groundwater in the central and eastern parts of the region, especially in the porous aquifers of Po Plain. The areas with very low and low vulnerability extend into the north and west, mainly in the non-aquiferous media and fissured aquifers. The future scenarios of groundwater vulnerability indicate a consistent increase of the very high vulnerability class, from the 1990s to the 2050s periods, in all scenarios, and mainly in the Po Plain.

Variation of Groundwater Flow Caused by Any Spatiotemporally Varied Recharge

The objective of this study was to develop a complete analytical solution to determining the effect of any varying rainfall recharge rates on groundwater flow in an unconfined sloping aquifer. The domain of the unconfined aquifer was assumed to be semi-infinite with an impervious bottom base, and the initial water level was parallel to the impervious bottom of a mild slope. In the past, similar problems have been discussed mostly by considering a uniform or temporally varying recharge rate, but the current study explored the variation of groundwater flow under temporally and spatially distributed recharge rates. The presented analytical solution was verified by comparing its results with those of previous research, and the practicability of the analytical solution was validated using the 2012 and 2013 data of a groundwater station in Dali District of Taichung City, Taiwan.

Statistical analysis of groundwater drouht on Dravsko-Ptujsko polje

Drought is a complex phenomenon and can be defined in many ways. It is a globally growing problem that occurs on a time scale ranging from months to years. There are several types of drought, but the least investigated is groundwater drought. Globally, research on it started relatively recently, in the last decade. In Slovenia, there are almost no data on groundwater drought. In this research, we focused on statistical analysis of groundwater level diagrams of individual groundwater stations, which can determine periods of groundwater drought. The first method used is based on ranking statistics defined by lower percentiles that indicate low groundwater level. Another approach was based on univariant Standardized Groundwater Index – SGI. As a case study, the unconfined Quaternary aquifer of Dravsko-Ptujsko polje was chosen. The results show that the groundwater deficits in the groundwater stations appear simultaneously but differ in intensity and duration of each drought period. The important conclusion is that the intensity of groundwater drought does not depend on the length of an event but more on thickness of the unsaturated aquifer zone. Also, groundwater stations located on the western rim below Pohorje Mountains have a higher amplitude of groundwater fluctuations than the others. The result of this are more intensive dry periods with longer duration. On the other hand, we have locations in the central and eastern part of the Dravsko-Ptujsko polje with more damped fluctuation, which leads to less intensive but more frequent groundwater drought events.

Using the Markov Chain to Analyze Precipitation and Groundwater Drought Characteristics and Linkage with Atmospheric Circulation

In recent years, Taiwan has been facing water shortages due to the impact of climate change, which has resulted in many serious drought events, especially in southern Taiwan. Long-term records from 25 rainfall stations and 17 groundwater stations in the southern Taiwan basin were used in this study. We used the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and the Standardized Groundwater Level Index (SGI) and employed the first-order Markov chain model and wavelet transform to determine the drought characteristics and propagation, including the steady-state probabilities of drought events and the mean duration for each station. The Drought Index (DI) was also used to investigate the effects of rainfall on groundwater drought. The results show that the steady-state probability of the meteorological drought in the Yanshui River basin in southern Taiwan is higher than that in other basins. The area with the longer mean duration is located in the Yanshui River basin and the Erren River basin, and overall, the mean duration ranges from 3 to 7 months. In addition, the results from the drought proneness analysis indicated that when rainfall causes a longer drought duration, there will be a higher degree of proneness to groundwater drought in the future. Finally, the results show that the mean duration of groundwater droughts are longer than those of meteorological droughts. The results of the wavelet analysis revealed a positive correlation at long-term scales, which may be related to large-scale atmospheric circulation. The information from this research could be used as a reference for water resource management in the future.

Land deformation associated with exploitation of groundwater in Changzhou City measured by COSMO-SkyMed and Sentinel-1A SAR data

Abstract The Urban Agglomeration in Yangtze River Delta is one of the most important economic and industrial regions in China. The City of Changzhou is one of the most important industrial citys in Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration. Activities here include groundwater exploration. Groundwater overexploitation has contributed to the major land deformation in this city. The severity and magnitude of land deformation over time were investigated in Changzhou City. A Small Baseline Subset Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (SBAS-InSAR) technology, provides a useful tool in measuring urban land deformation. In this study, a time series of COSMO-SkyMed and Sentinel-1A SAR images covering Changzhou City were acquired. SBAS-InSAR imaging technique was used to survey the extent and severity of land deformation associated with the exploitation of groundwater in Changzhou City. Leveling data was used to validate the SBAR-InSAR productions, the error of SBAR-InSAR annual subsidence results was within 2 mm. The results showed that three main land subsidence zones were detected at Xinbei, Tianning and Wujin District. Four subsidence points were selected to analyze the temporal and spatial evolution characteristics of land subsidence. The subsidence rate of P1 to P4 was −2.48 mm/year, −12.78 mm/year, −18.09 mm/year, and −12.69 mm/year respectively. Land subsidence over Changzhou showed a trend of slowing down from 2011 to 2017, especially in Wujin District. SBAR-InSAR derived land deformation that correlates with the water level change in six groundwater stations. Indicated that with groundwater rebound, the land rebound obviously, and the maximum rebound vale reached 9.13 mm.

Evaluation of pre-treatment technologies for phosphorous removal from drinking water to mitigate membrane biofouling

Membranes are widely used for the treatment of various solutions. However, membrane fouling remains the limiting factor for their usage, setting biofouling as the most severe type of it. Therefore, the production of biologically stable water prior to membranes is important. Since lack of phosphorus may hinder the growth of microorganisms, the aim of this research is to evaluate the effect of microbially available phosphorus (MAP) removal via affordable water pre-treatment methods (adsorption, biofiltration, electrocoagulation) on bacterial growth. Four cylindrical reactors were installed at an artificially recharged groundwater station. Further temperature influence and carbon limitation were tested for biofiltration technology. The amount of MAP and total cell count was measured by flow cytometry. The results showed that at lower temperatures electrocoagulation performed the best, resulting in complete MAP removal (detection limit 6.27x10-3μg P l-1). Sorbent demonstrated MAP removal of 70-90%. Biomass did not have any noteworthy results at +8°C, however, at +19°C MAP removal of around 80% was achieved. Main conclusions obtained within this study are: (i) tested technologies effectively eliminate MAP levels; (ii) temperature has a significant effect on MAP removal in a bioreactor, (iii) multi-barrier approach might be necessary for better P limitation that might prolong operating time of a membrane.

Hydro-geochemical classification and spatial distribution of groundwater to examine the suitability for irrigation purposes (Golestan Province, north of Iran)

One of the most important agricultural areas in Iran is Golestan Province. In this study, the suitability of groundwater for irrigation purposes was assessed. To determine hydro-geochemical classification of the station and assessment of spatial modeling of the study area, 12 groundwater stations were selected and an average of the last 5 years of sampling (2011–2015) has been considered. Suitability of groundwater for irrigation was assessed based on Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR), Residual Sodium Carbonate (RSC), Na%, Permeability Index (PI), Magnesium Adsorption Ratio (MAR), Kelley’s Ratio (KR), Corrosion Ratio (CR), Residual Sodium Carbonate (RSC), Potential Soil Salinity (PSS), Chloro-Alkaline Indices (CAI), Meteoric genesis (Met. gen) and Wilcox classification. The abundance of major ions followed a HCO3 > SO4 > Na > Ca > Mg > Cl > K trend. CAI results indicate reverse cation exchange for this area, and Wilcox classification indicates that only Kalou, Kafshgari, and Kia stations are appropriate for irrigation. The spatial distribution of groundwater quality demonstrates a decreasing trend from SE to NW based on CAI, Cl, CR, EC, TSS, and TDS and shows reverse trends for KR, MAR, Met. gen, Mg/Ca, Na%, pH, PI, and RSC. In addition, the results of hydro-geochemical classification of irrigation parameters have categorized the irrigation water of this area into three different classes. Based on EC, MAR, Mg/Ca, Cl and CR, this area is suitable, but based on PSS, KR, and TH, all stations are unsuitable and according to SAR, TDS, Na% and PI, this area’s groundwater is moderate.

Prediction of monthly regional groundwater levels through hybrid soft-computing techniques

Groundwater systems are intrinsically heterogeneous with dynamic temporal-spatial patterns, which cause great difficulty in quantifying their complex processes, while reliable predictions of regional groundwater levels are commonly needed for managing water resources to ensure proper service of water demands within a region. In this study, we proposed a novel and flexible soft-computing technique that could effectively extract the complex high-dimensional input–output patterns of basin-wide groundwater–aquifer systems in an adaptive manner. The soft-computing models combined the Self Organized Map (SOM) and the Nonlinear Autoregressive with Exogenous Inputs (NARX) network for predicting monthly regional groundwater levels based on hydrologic forcing data. The SOM could effectively classify the temporal-spatial patterns of regional groundwater levels, the NARX could accurately predict the mean of regional groundwater levels for adjusting the selected SOM, the Kriging was used to interpolate the predictions of the adjusted SOM into finer grids of locations, and consequently the prediction of a monthly regional groundwater level map could be obtained. The Zhuoshui River basin in Taiwan was the study case, and its monthly data sets collected from 203 groundwater stations, 32 rainfall stations and 6 flow stations during 2000and2013 were used for modelling purpose. The results demonstrated that the hybrid SOM-NARX model could reliably and suitably predict monthly basin-wide groundwater levels with high correlations (R2>0.9 in both training and testing cases). The proposed methodology presents a milestone in modelling regional environmental issues and offers an insightful and promising way to predict monthly basin-wide groundwater levels, which is beneficial to authorities for sustainable water resources management.