Kuwait Group Aquifer Research Articles

Hydrogeophysical analysis of the Dammam Eocene carbonate aquifer of the Shigaya Field-D, Kuwait

Hydrogeological, hydrochemical and electric logging data of 24 groundwater wells of the D- field of the Shigaya, SW of Kuwait, were used to evaluate the Middle Eocene Dammam carbonate aquifer and to recognize the major geochemical processes that controlling the groundwater quality. The results indicate that the Dammam aquifer has a heterogeneous lithological nature, that composed of limestone, dolomitized at the top, with dispersed argillaceous materials ranges from 0 to 21% and total matrix porosity ranges from 4 to 35 %. The highest matrix porosity is recorded at the top of the formation, that was enhanced by dolomitization, fracturing, and dissolution. Interpretation of the hydrochemical data indicate that the groundwater type is Na2SO4 that enriched with Na+ and Ca++ and strong acids (SO4-- and Cl-) than the weak acids (CO3--+ HCO3-). This indicates a simple dissolution or mixing nature of the groundwater and a reverse ion-exchange between sodium ions of the meteoric water and the magnesium and calcium ions of the groundwater. The sulphate and chloride ranging from 1046 to 1345 ppm and 420 to 647 ppm, respectively. The sodium concentration ranges from 282 to 456 ppm and the calcium ranges from 225 to 387 ppm, while magnesium has the lowest concentration of between 118 and 137 ppm. A rapid decrease of the Dammam water salinity was detected after 1977, as a result of groundwater exchanges that took place between the overlying, relatively lower salinity, Kuwait Group aquifer through the wellbores whenever the wells are not being pumped.

Paleoclimatic investigations using isotopic signatures of the Late Pleistocene-Holocene groundwater of the stratified aquifers in Kuwait

The study attempts to determine paleo recharge sources for two major aquifer units of Kuwait, namely, Kuwait Group Aquifer (KGA), and Dammam Formation (DFm) were collected and analyzed for major ions and isotopes. The obtained results of 14C ages indicated that the groundwater samples ranged from 31.9 Ky to 3.9 Ky in DFm and 23.3 Ky to 0.8 Ky in KGA. The variations in δ18O signatures with respect to age reflected that there were two major sources of rainwater such as enriched southern Indian Ocean monsoon and the depleted northwesterly (Mediterranean) vapor source. The samples found to show variations during the three marine isotopic stages (MIS 1–3), Heinrich events, Bolling-Allerod, and Dryas time periods in both aquifers. A shift in the Intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) was witnessed in the groundwater of both aquifers from 7.8 Ky to 4.9 Ky. The variation in the Holocene climate is mainly due to the influence of tropospheric easterly jet governed by the swing in ITCZ , as a result of Holocene volcanism. The mean δ18O values of DFm samples (-3.81‰) reflect depletion than KGA samples (-2.31‰), and the d-excess values were −0.95‰ and 2.05‰ respectively. Thus it could be inferred that the DFm was predominantly recharged during Late Pleistocene period and it was in a relatively cooler climate than recharge environment of KGA. The study infers that KGA was recharged between 26oN and 26.8oN latitudes, and that of the DFm was noted to be recharged (south west of Kuwait) in two different patches between 25.8oN and 26.2oN and 26.7oN-27.4oN latitudes during Late Pleistocene. The KGA was concluded to be recharged between 25.5oN and 27.5oN latitudes, south of Kuwait, during Holocene.

Historical evaluation of hydrological and water quality changes of southern Kuwait groundwater system

Groundwater constitutes an important natural resource in Kuwait and thus requires effective management policies based on a sound knowledge of its flow, recharge, and factors affecting the quality of the water. An assessment of the flow and water quality changes of the southern Kuwait groundwaters over the past decades was made based on the available hydrogeological, hydrochemical, pumping and tracer tests, and environmental isotopes data. The predevelopment potentiometric surface of the Dammam aquifer was higher than that of the Kuwait Group aquifer. The Dammam groundwater is old and no recharge occurred in Kuwait during pre-development times. The Kuwait Group aquifer was recharged mainly by an upward leakage from the Dammam aquifer, with local recharge largely restricted to the Dibdibba depressions. The continuous groundwater pumping has resulted in the reversal of flow direction. The salinity of the Dammam aquifer at Al-Shegaya and Umm-Gudair has been relatively stable since 1960, whereas the Kuwait Group aquifer has a stable to freshening trend.

Geostatistical Characterization of the Transmissivity: An Example of Kuwait Aquifers

Management of groundwater resources is critical to arid countries like Kuwait. One crucial information that is often not available to groundwater modelers is transmissivity of aquifers. Kriging is used to characterize the transmissivity of the two most commonly used aquifers in Kuwait (the Dammam and Kuwait Group aquifers). The transmissivity of the two aquifers is represented as a random spatial function where heterogeneity is described by the probability distribution and variogram of sample values. A structural analysis was performed which consisted of the construction and interpretation of sample variograms and the selection of model variograms to best fit the structure of the log-transformed transmissivity. The analysis indicated that the transmissivity of the Dammam aquifer is highly anisotropic and has a longer range of influence and larger variance (39 km; 333,487) than those for the Kuwait Group aquifer (10 km; 44,613). The model variograms were used in the kriging analysis to estimate the spatial average value of the transmissivity of the two aquifers in Kuwait. The estimated transmissivity of the Kuwait Group aquifer ranges from <50 to about 800 m2 day−1, and is controlled principally by the thickness of the saturated zone in the aquifer. The estimated transmissivity in Dammam aquifer ranges from ~100 to 2200 m2 day−1, with high transmissivity fields coinciding with both the areas of major anticline and fault structures and the areas of aquifer recharge by fresh water, indicating the enhancement of the transmissivity on these structures by dissolution. Low transmissivity fields are located in the areas where the aquifer waters are stagnant. The performed analysis can be used to aid in the development of numerical models for sustainable management of the aquifer system in Kuwait, defining artificial recharge sites, and in optimizing the locations of future development wellfields.

Waterlogging in Arid Agriculture Areas Due to Improper Groundwater Management—An Example from Kuwait

Waterlogging is an acute problem in the agricultural areas of arid regions. This study highlights the main reasons for water table rise in the Wafra agriculture area of South Kuwait. A two-tier aquifer system exists in the area, which consists of the Kuwait Group aquifer underlain by a semi-confined Dammam aquifer. Improper sealing of wells tapping the semi-confined Dammam aquifer and over-irrigation were the main reasons for water level rise, and an increase in total dissolved solids was due to high evaporation of brackish water used for irrigation in the area. Other issues such as thin soil cover, topographic variation, and geomorphology within the area play an interactive role in the development of salt crusts on the ground surface. The key solution to the problem lies with proper well design and irrigation management. The sealing of the wells tapping the Dammam Formation has resulted in the lowering of the water level, which has allowed the reclamation of farms. For sustainable management of the Wafra agriculture area, it is observed that only the Kuwait Group aquifer should be utilized for irrigation, dewatering should be carried out in selective low-lying areas, and the adoption of best irrigation practices can be the only way for sustainable agriculture development in the area. The use of tertiary-treated wastewater, along with groundwater from the Kuwait Group (KG) aquifer, can be a solution to sustain agriculture. The crop water requirement should be considered for irrigation application while using best practices such as drip irrigation.

Multi-well and multi-tracer tests to characterize the groundwater aquifers in southern Kuwait

In the water-starved arid climate of Kuwait, useable (both fresh and brackish) reserves of groundwater constitute a strategic resource. Therefore, effective management policies are essential for ensuring sustainable management of the groundwater resources in the state. Although the general pattern of groundwater flow is known, the detailed pattern of the flow paths of water within the Kuwait aquifer system and the variation of hydraulic and transport properties are not known. Applied tracers are powerful hydrogeological investigative tools because the tracer application (source term) is controlled and well characterized which permits quantification of subsurface properties often unmatched by standard physical methods. Aquifer pumping tests and multi-well and multi-tracer (rhodamine-WT, fluorescein, sodium bromide) tests were carried out, under both natural and forced gradient conditions, at Al-Shegaya and Umm-Gudair sites. The objectives of the tracer tests are to determine the groundwater flow directions, flow rates, inter- and intra-aquifer hydraulic communications, effective porosity, dispersivity, etc., in the established groundwater well fields of southern Kuwait at Al-Shegaya Umm-Gudair. The tests involved drilling, construction and development of groundwater wells, and injection of tracers in the injection wells and monitoring its concentrations in the injection and monitoring wells. Inverse numerical modeling (MODFLOW and MT3DMS codes) was used for data interpretation. The Kuwait Group and Dammam Formation have a high degree of hydraulic separation, and it is likely that there is little recharge of the Dammam Formation from downward leakage from the Kuwait Group (at least in the study area). Groundwater resources in the Dammam Formation may be largely restricted to the flow into Kuwait from Saudi Arabia. The lower Kuwait Group aquifer has dual-porosity conditions: likely a rapid flow through fracture and/or conduit system (neff = 0.5 %) and a slow flow through the formation (calcareous) matrix (neff = 20 %), with very low dispersivity (longitudinal and transverse/vertical dispersivities of 0.1 and 0.01 m, respectively). The injection wells indicate more than one linear line segment in the tracer dilution plot (concentration in natural logarithmic vs. time), which suggests varying transmissivity across the well screen depths. The filtration velocity, hydraulic conductivity and transmissivity of the aquifers have also been estimated. At both the sites, the groundwater flow in the underlying carbonate formation is very slow (0.028 m/d). The hydrogeological parameters obtained from the present tracer study will be used for more reliable conceptualization, development and calibration of a suitable statewide flow and solute transport model for the regional groundwater system of Kuwait.

Environmental isotope systematics of the groundwater system of southern Kuwait

The carbonate Dammam Formation of Eocene age and the unconformably overlying clastic Kuwait Group of rocks of Mio-Pliocene age are the two aquifers that provide useable groundwater (salinity 5000 mg/l or less) in Kuwait. These aquifers extend beyond the political limits of the country to Saudi Arabia and Iraq. A detailed environmental isotopic (2/1H, 18/16O, 13/12C, 3H, 14C) characterization of the groundwater system of southern Kuwait (a regional aquifer extending beyond the political limits of the country to Saudi Arabia and Iraq) has been carried out to understand its hydrodynamics so as to evolve a better conceptual flow model of the aquifer system. From the study, it was observed that the groundwater salinity of the Kuwait Group aquifer increases generally from south-west to north-east, although locally a few of them show low values. Groundwater samples from the Dammam Formation aquifer are characterized by a relatively low mineralization, compared with those of Kuwait Group aquifer. The water in the Kuwait Group aquifer in the south-western part of the country is Na–Cl type and in the Dammam Formation aquifer is Na–Cl to SO4–Na (Cl > SO4) type. A wide range of d-excess of the groundwater samples was seen (Kuwait Group aquifer +16.0 to −20.6 ‰; Dammam Formation aquifer: +22.8 to −19.6 ‰), indicating that the groundwater system contains more than one type of water with different origin (recharge area) and history (time, evaporation, climate). In both the aquifers, the groundwater samples from south and central parts and along the coast showed negative d-excess values with heavier 18O and 2H, indicating older recharge and greater degree of evaporation prior to recharge. The δ18O and δ2H of the initial recharge waters, respectively, are −8.8 and −40 ‰ for the Kuwait Group aquifer and −7.2 and −32 ‰ for the Dammam Formation aquifer. The corrected 14C ages (Tamer’s model) of groundwater samples of Kuwait Group aquifer ranged from ~5000 to 24,000 a, B.P, and that of Dammam Formation aquifer ranged from ~6000 to 20,000 a, B.P. The intermediate groundwater in the south-west and central parts of Kuwait Group aquifer is recharged during humid period (~5000 to 10,000 a, B.P), whereas deeper groundwater in the south is recharged during arid period (~9000–16,000 a, B.P). The recharge to the Dammam Formation aquifer mostly occurred during a cooler (humid) phase in the past. The Dammam Formation aquifer water is hydraulically well mixed below 350 m depth. Interconnection between the two aquifers established near the coast and south-west border of the country. The results of the study were used to refine the existing conceptual groundwater flow model for the aquifer system.

Usage of Carbon Isotopes in Characterizing Groundwater Age, Flow Direction, Flow Velocity and Recharge Area

Carbon-13 and Carbon-14 isotopes were utilized in this study to determine the age, flow direction, flow velocity and recharge area of groundwater in the two main aquifers of Kuwait. For this purpose 20 groundwater samples were collected from the Kuwait group aquifer and lower Dammam formation aquifer. The collected groundwater samples were analyzed for 14C activity and 13C activity. 14C activity was measured using accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) and expressed as percentage modern carbon (pmc) while 13C was measured using an isotope ratio mass spectrometer (IRMS) and expressed as permil (‰) in the form of CO2 gas. The interpretation of the analysis results of carbon isotopes data indicated that the general groundwater flow direction is towards north east and the estimated groundwater velocities are 11 to 30 m/a for Kuwait group aquifer and 12 to 21 m/a for Dammam formation aquifer. Based on the estimated groundwater velocities, the approximate location of the recharge areas of these aquifers was identified. The groundwater ages calculated for Kuwait group aquifer varied from 800 a B.P for modern ground water in the northern part to 22500 a B.P for very old groundwater in the northeastern part, while the age of Dammam formation groundwater is 26000 to 36000 a B.P.

Groundwater Simulation System Study on Physical and Climatic properties on Kuwait Group Aquifer

In Kuwait natural resources of fresh water are very limited. Kuwait is situated in an arid coastal region characterized by high temperatures, low humidity, sparse precipitation rates, and high evaporation and evapotranspiration rates with no rivers or lakes. Therefore, Kuwait has always relied on other sources to secure freshwater to meet its growing demands. The aim of this study was to design a conceptual system to provide a sustainable water source at a feasible cost. The conceptual design system was developed to address the problem of water scarcity and sustainability in general, and specifically to represent the Kuwaiti water quality and quantity limitation problem.The conceptual design system consists primarily of utilizing brackish groundwater in conjunction with treated wastewater augmentation and a reverse osmosis unit for plant production, the simulation was chosen to represent the quasi-Kuwaiti environment data.The study considered two types of simulation models for the conceptual design system approach. These models are the lump model approach and the areal distribution model approach. The lump model approach was carried out through the construction of a simplified model approach utilizing the Visual Basic model. On the other hand, the areal distribution model approach was carried out through the utilization of the Visual MODFLOW and MT3D simulation model approach. This paper present a part of the study that directed to test the physical and climatic performance, and the durability of the conceptual design system, Visual basic, lump, model simulation approach was simulated for different ranges of hydrologic, hydrogeologic, and climatic parameters to determine the total power and treated wastewater consumption. From the performance test results, the increase in evapotranspiration had the highest increase effect on the system total power consumption per unit area and the highest increase effect on the treated wastewater consumption per unit area. On the other hand, the increase in the aquifer porosity had the least increase effect on both the total power consumption and the treated wastewater consumption by the system. In contrast, the hydraulic conductivity increase had no direct effect on either the total power consumption or on the treated wastewater consumption per unit area.

Hydrogeochemical study of the clastic aquifer in the Umm Gudair field, Kuwait

The Kuwait Group aquifer is a major source of brackish groundwater in the State of Kuwait. The aquifer ranges in thickness from 150–400 m. In the Umm Gudair well field, the water has total dissolved solids ranging from 3,130 to 4,790 mg/l. According to the Sulin classification, all the Kuwait Group aquifer samples are characterized as Cl–Mg or Cl–Ca genetic water types. The chemical data indicate that the aquifer is generally in equilibrium with respect to calcite, dolomite and gypsum but undersaturated with respect to halite and polygorskite. The study has indicated that de-dolomitization is the major geochemical process controlling the chemistry of this aquifer, increasing the major complexes of sulphate and carbonate due to the dissolution of gypsum. The ratio of Cl/Na indicates that the Na+ ions have been taken from the Kuwait Group aquifer by reverse ion exchange.

Aquifer characteristics and water quality of Miocene–Pleistocene sediments, Kuwait

Al-Atraf is one of the water well fields of Kuwait supplying Kuwait City with the brackish groundwater obtained from the Kuwait Group aquifer of Miocene–Pleistocene age. The study determined the hydrogeological and hydrochemical characteristics of the groundwater in order to identify the major chemical processes that influence the groundwater quality of the study area. The results of the aquifer test analyses indicate that the Kuwait Group is a confined to semi-confined aquifer, with a transmissivity ranging between 62 and 321 m2/day. The flow net analysis implied that the groundwater moves from southwest to northeast. The estimated transmissivity values agree well with those calculated from the aquifer test. The results of the chemical analyses data of the Al-Atraf field show that the groundwater is mainly brackish, of NaCl and Na2SO4 water types. The groundwater is undersaturated with respect to halite, gypsum and anhydrite and supersaturated with respect to quartz, dolomite and calcite in the direction of groundwater flow. The average Pco2 of the groundwater is higher than the Pco2 of the earth’s atmosphere indicating that the groundwater is supplied with CO2 during the infiltration processes and dissolves the carbonate minerals under closed-system conditions.

Hydrochemical Processes and Environmental Isotopic Study of Groundwater in Kuwait

The present paper studies the hydrochemical processes and the isotopic characteristics of the main aquifers, the Kuwait Group and Dammam aquifers in the State of Kuwait. The water chemical types are dominantly NaCl and Na2SO4 in the Kuwait Group aquifer and Na2SO4, CaSO4, and NaCl in the Dammam Limestone aquifer. The groundwater of the Kuwait Group aquifer is supersaturated with respect to quartz and calcite, and near saturation with respect to aragonite, but under-saturated with respect to anhydrite, dolomite, gypsum, and halite. While the groundwater of the Dammam aquifer is strongly under-saturated with respect to anhydrite, halite, and gypsum and is supersaturated with respect to quartz, dolomite, aragonite, and calcite. The saturation indices of the calcite and dolomite are increased in the direction of flow from southwest toward north-northeast. Al-Rawdhatain and Umm Al-Aish groundwater samples lie near the meteoric water line. They represent the effect of recharge by rainfall during pluvial period. The brackish palaeo-groundwater of the Dammam aquifer has low values of δ18O (−4.5 per mil) and δD (−35 per mil), which reveal that these waters are related to the palaeo-water from the cool wet period in the eastern Arabia 11,000 to 60,000 years B.P. The investigated brackish groundwater samples showed that the deuterium excess values are much lower than that of the Mediterranean areas. This may suggest that the evaporation was a prevailing process before the infiltration to the aquifers.

Hydrogeological and Hydrochemical Study of the Al-Shagaya Field-F, Kuwait

The study area, Al-Shagaya Field-F, is located at the south western part of Kuwait and includes twenty-seven production water wells, tapping the Kuwait Group aquifer. The main objectives of this study were to identify the aquifer type, determine its properties, outline the geological factors and the hydrochemical processes that control the quality of the groundwater of the study area, and to assess the water quality of the Kuwait Group aquifer. Analyses of aquifer test data revealed that the Kuwait Group aquifer acts as a semi-confined to confined aquifer, with a range of transmissivity values between 103 and 1,198 m2/day. The initial water level ranges from 70 to 146 m (M.S.L). The estimated quantity of groundwater entering the study area is about 12,950 m3/day. The chemical analyses show that the groundwater of the study area is a brackish water type, with total dissolved solids ranging from 3,586 to 5,334 mg/l. The aquifer salinity increases in the direction of regional flow towards the NE. The average pH value is 7.7 and the average electrical conductivity is 5,349 μs/cm. Groundwater is highly concentrated with Na+, Ca2+, Cl- and SO42- and is depleted in HCO3- and Mg2+ ions. It is characterized by secondary salinity, where the alkaline earths exceed the alkalies and strong acids exceed weak acids. Three groundwater chemical types are recognized: NaCl, Na2SO4 and CaCl2. The NaCl water type is the most abundant in the study area. The main genetic types of water are: MgCl2 and Na2SO4. It is found that the groundwater is oversaturated with respect to aragonite and calcite and undersaturated with respect to anhydrite, gypsum, halite and dolomite. A comparison of the hydrochemical coefficients of Na+/Cl-, SO42-/Cl- and Ca2+/Mg2+ in the study area with those of seawater and river water shows that the groundwater of the study area is a mixture of marine and continental water.

Laboratory investigations of compatibility of the Kuwait Group aquifer, Kuwait, with possible injection waters

A laboratory investigation of the compatibility of the Kuwait Group aquifer of Kuwait with desalinated seawater and reverse osmosis processed treated wastewater was carried out in anticipation of the artificial recharge of the aquifer in future. Even with the use of wax coating and freezing with liquid nitrogen, no core plugs could be extracted from the unconsolidated sections, and only the consolidated to semi-consolidated sections could be studied. The aquifer consists of silty and gravelly sand, and is often highly calcareous. The clay minerals present in the aquifer mostly belong to the montmorillonite and illite groups, with some palygorskite. Mercury injection porosimetry experiments on core plugs from the more cemented parts of the aquifer suggest that, to avoid significant clogging from suspended solids, particles down to a diameter of 8 μm should be filtered out of the injection water. Core flow experiments suggest that, for the samples examined, loss of permeability due to clay swelling is not very important. The blocking of pore throats by moving fines may be a more serious problem during injection. The geochemical simulation indicates that the possibility of scale formation when the injection waters come in contact with the Kuwait Group formation water is remote. Rather, there is a possibility of dissolution of carbonate minerals in the aquifer in contact with the injection waters.

Distribution of selected trace constituents in the ground water of Kuwait

Water samples from a total of 42 wells, producing from the carbonate Dammam Formation (Eocene) and the clastic Kuwait Group (Mio-Pleistocene) aquifers in Kuwait were collected and analyzed for the determination of selected trace elements and compounds. The purpose was to establish preliminary baselines for these constituents in the ground water of Kuwait. The results indicate that the trace constituents of the ground water of Kuwait do not generally pose any health or environmental hazard. The nitrate content of the Kuwait Group aquifer at some sites is, however, somewhat on the high side. More investigations on the reasons for this high nitrate content are called for.

Evaluation of the suitability of groundwater quality for reverse osmosis desalination

In this study the suitability of brackish ground water quality for reverse osmosis (RO) desalination is evaluated. The results of initial laboratory and field analysis of 41 production wells were used to determine the hydrochemical properties of groundwater for both the Dammam limestone aquifer and the clastic Kuwait Group aquifer in the southwestern part of the State of Kuwait. The core samples of these wells were collected and analyzed in order to determine the hydrogeological properties of the same aquifers in the Umm Gudair area. Hydrochemical data of these aquifers were analyzed to help describe relations between hydrochemically distinct bodies of water and elucidate links between hydrochemical data and hydrogeological parameters. During this study, the Expanded Durov diagram was simplified and linked with the Sulin classification method in order to give more interpretation values. The results show that the aquifer materials influence the quality of ground water in each aquifer. The Kuwait Group aquifer water is characterized by ClMg and ClCa genetic water types with an average TDS of 4008 mg/l and belongs to the chloride water type. The Dammam limestone aquifer water characterized by the NaSO 4 and ClMg genetic type with an average TDS of 3480 mg/l belongs to the sulphate type. Both aquifers contain suitable water for RO desalination since they have a high concentration of chloride and monovalent ions, which reduces the requirements of antiscalant additives.

Geological controls on water quality in arid Kuwait

The objective of the study was to assess water quality of the Kuwait Group aquifer and outline the role of geological factors and processes and the subsurface structure on controlling the trend in water quality as discharge–recharge relations. Field pH, temperature and content of Ca2+, Mg2+,K+, Na+, Cl−, SO42−and HCO3−have been determined for 167 ground-water samples of the Kuwait Group aquifer. Hydrochemical characteristics of the study fields were investigated by means of extensive data processing in the form of equivalent per million percentage, equilibrium studies, as well as multivariate statistical analyses. It is found that the Kuwait Group aquifer is mainly occupied by brackish, NaCl and CaSO4water types. Fresh water of Na2SO4, Ca(HCO3)2and NaHCO3water types occurred in the upper part of the Dibdibba Formation of the Kuwait Group. In addition, saline–brine ground-water is found in residential areas located east of Ahmadi anti-cline structure, where the total dissolved solids ranges from 10,000–115,000mgl−1.A computer program, WATEQ, was utilized to compute the saturation indices of minerals with respect to a given water composition. It is found that the ground-water is supersaturated with respect to calcite, aragonite and dolomite, and undersaturated with respect to anhydrite, gypsum and halite. Calculated mean values ofPCO2for the fresh and brackish water fields are 4 × 10−3and 5 × 10−3(atm), respectively, indicating that the ground-water becomes charged with CO2during infiltration processes. Generally, the salinity increases from 3000–100,000mgl−1in the direction of regional flow.

Chemistry Of Groundwater In The Dammam Aquifer, Kuwait

Groundwater of the Dammam carbonate aquifer in Kuwait is strongly undersaturated with respect to halite and is weakly undersaturated with respect to anhydrite and gypsum. In addition, the groundwater is oversaturated with respect to calcite and dolomite. Generally, the saturation indices of most minerals increase in the direction of flow. The salinity of the Dammam aquifer ranges from 2,500 to 10,000 mg/l, but locally a maximum of 150,000 mg/l occurs in the direction of groundwater movement toward the north-northeast. The increase in salinity is attributed to dissolution processes, as indicated by the increases of Cl, SO4, CA, and Na ions in the direction of flow. The major hydrochemical water types are Na2SO4, CaSO4, and NaCl. Lenses of fresh groundwater, in which the salinity ranges from 200 to 1,400 mg/l, occur in the depression of Al-Rawdhatain and Umm Al-Aish fields, in the Upper Dibdibba Formation of the Kuwait Group aquifer. The aquifers are directly recharged by local precipitation, and fresh groundwater is slightly mixed with brackish waters. These aquifers contain Ca(HCO3)2 and NaHCO3 type water, in which HCO3>SO4>Cl.

Assessment and Management of a Desert Basin in Kuwait

ABSTRACT The study area, Umm Gudair, is located in the southwest corner of Kuwait. It occupies an area of ≈ 4.84 × 109 ft2. The brackish ground water is derived from the two main aquifers within the Cenozoic sequence. These are: the Kuwait Group aquifer (Miopleistocene) and the Dammam aquifer (Eocene). In the study area, the two aquifers are treated as a single reservoir Forty-one production wells, locally called “dual completion wells” were finished in the aquifers. This research identifies the hydrogeologic properties and the water quality of the aquifers. In addition, the article discusses the application of the surface electrical method Schlumberger configuration to correlate and delineate the areal distribution of the apparent resistivity with the aquifer salinity, and the occurrence of a water-bearing formation. The results will be use for assessment and management of the groundwater reservoir The water quality of the two aquifers is relatively poor The T.D.S. ranges between 3,130-4,740 mg/L. The hy...

ARTIFICIAL GROUND WATER RECHARGE EXPERIMENTS IN CARBONATE AND CLASTIC AQUIFERS OF KUWAIT1

ABSTRACT: Injection of water and subsequent withdrawal were carried out in three existing water wells (SU‐10, C‐105, and SU‐135A) in Kuwait. The objective of the study was to assess the technical feasibility of artificial recharge in the carbonate Dammam Formation and the clastic Kuwait Group aquifers. In the absence of any pretreatment of injection water and measures for maintenance of line pressure, clogging from suspended solids and air entrapment occurred in all three experiments. It was, however, possible to inject for one month in Wells SU‐10 and C‐105 where injection took place in the Dammam aquifer. In Well SU‐135A, where the Kuwait Group aquifer was the target for injection, clogging became so severe that the injection experiment had to be abandoned. The injection/withdrawal data were analyzed with the help of a multi‐aquifer flow model and a transport model. The models took into account the effects of crossflow within the boreholes on the distribution of intake and discharge rates for different aquifers, and hence, on the recovery efficiency. The experiments suggested that the artificial recharge of the Dammam and the Kuwait Group aquifers was technically feasible. The problem of clogging was, however, more severe for the Kuwait Group.