Investigation of shallow ground water in the Tulul al Ashqaf highlands, Jordan

 

Nizar Abu-Jaber[1]

George Haddadin[2]

Mufeed Hamzeh[3]

Nabil Abderahman¹

Wael Azaizeh¹

Hassan Omari¹

Khaldoon al Qudah[4]

 

 

Abstract

            Perched aquifers in the arid region of Tulul al Ashaqif in northeastern Jordan are an important traditional source of water in this area.  Despite this, little effort has yet been exerted into understanding the distribution and nature of this resource.  The purpose of this paper is to describe the recent research effort which aimed at understanding the factors controlling the distribution of this water, its quality and renewability as well as the hydrological nature of the aquifers.

            A combination of remote sensing and geomorphological analysis was used to determine the locations of potential sites for further investigation.  Based on this, detailed geophysical surveys were conducted at ten sites, using both Wenner and Schlumberger geoelectrical arrays.  These surveys resulted in the choice of four potential sites for drilling of shallow wells.  The wells yielded two locations where shallow groundwater is present. 

            The chemical characteristics of the water indicate that it is well within the standard guidelines for drinking water in Jordan.  The isotopic data from this water indicates that it is renewable.  The hydrological characteristics of the aquifer indicate low hydraulic conductivity, ranging from 5.8-9.7cm/day.  This indicates that a large number of wells need to be drilled in order to satisfy the needs of the population.