2014-2016 Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) Using Treated Wastewater in Different Geological Conditions of Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Vitaly Zlotnik's research | Go back to his website
Funded by US Agency for International Development (DAI-FABR), Principal Investigator
Groundwater modeling facilitates MAR’s design and application, both as a diagnostic and predictive tool and for creating monitoring networks for groundwater levels. The three universities combined their resources to address similar problems in Oman and Jordan, developing groundwater modeling approaches to MAR design in countries separated by more than 1,500 miles of deserts -- and 7,700 miles from Lincoln, Nebraska, to Muscat, Oman. The team, including Zlotnik (University of Nebraska), Ali Al-Maktoumi, Anvar Kacimov, and Osman Abdalla (SQU, Oman), Marwan Al-Raggad (UJ, Jordan), Mustafa El-Rawy (Minia University, Egypt) collected data, developed models, and provided water resources forecasts with implications for conjunctive surface- and groundwater use.
In Oman, models for three MAR sites were developed, including an alluvial aquifer near Al-Khoud recharge dam, coastal Jamma aquifer (located more than 100 miles northwest) recharged by flash floods and vast wetlands resulting from treated wastewater disposal by Haya Water in Muscat. In Jordan, MAR of Hummar limestone aquifer was investigated at different combinations of TWW discharge and groundwater withdrawals at As Samra Wastewater Treatment Plant under different scenarios of the plant capacity expansion.
The project was also focused on building MENA’s capacity for research: five meetings and workshops, provided training for water resources managers, academics and students in Oman and Jordan. University of Nebraska jointly with SQU developed a Toolbox for Training and Designing MAR and Guidelines for Numerical Modeling, used to train more than 30 professionals in both countries. These materials received positive feedback at regional and international conferences from other Gulf countries.
Publications
Zlotnik, V. A., Kacimov, A. and Al-Maktoumi, A. (2017), Estimating Groundwater Mounding in Sloping Aquifers for Managed Aquifer Recharge. Groundwater. doi:10.1111/gwat.12530
El-Rawy, M. V. Zlotnik, M. Al-Raggad, V.A. Al-Maktoumi, A. Kacimov, O. Abdalla (2016) Conjunctive use of groundwater and surface water resources with aquifer recharge by treated wastewater: evaluation of management scenarios in the Zarqa River Basin, Jordan, Environmental Earth Sciences 75(15) · August 2016, doi: 10.1007/s12665-016-5946
Kacimov, A., V. Zlotnik, A. Al-Maktoumi, R. Al-Abri (2016), Modeling of transient water table response to Managed Aquifer Recharge: A lagoon in Muscat, Oman, Environmental Earth Sciences, 2016, 75: 318. doi:10.1007/s12665-015-5137-5
Discussion of a model. From left to right: Anvar Kacimov and Ali Al-Maktoumi (SQU) and Vitaly Zlotnik (University of Nebraska) |
Measurements of reated wastewater discharge in the wadi-based channel of wetland near Haya Water Company, Muscat, Oman. From left to right: Anvar Kacimov (SQU), Marwan Al-Raggad (UJ), Ali Al-Maktoumi(SQU) |
View of the Al Ansab wetland in a wadi near Haya Water Company, Muscat, Oman |
Zarqa River near TWW discharge outlet. From left to right: V. Zlotnik (University of Nebraska), A. Al-Maktomi (SQU), M.Al-Raggad (UJ), and A.Kacimov (SQU). Lat 32.151764, Lon 36.077897 |