Impact of Increasing Pumping Discharge on Groundwater Level in the Nile Delta Aquifer, Egypt

Abstract

The main goal of this research is to develop a 3D groundwater (GW) model using MODFLOW software to assess the potential effect of increasing pumping discharges on GW level in the Nile Delta Aquifer (NDA). In this study, the current state of the irrigation canals and GW recharge are considered in the GW model. The simulated GW level was compared with the observed GW level for model validation. Three vertical cross sections in western central and eastern areas of the ND are selected to check the impacts of GW pumping on variations of GW level. Ten scenarios of increasing the abstraction rates in all areas of the ND are tested. The results confirmed that increasing the pumping discharges has a substantial effect on decreasing the GW level in central and southern areas of the NDA. In addition, the tenth scenario is considered the last case where the drawdown of GW level reached 1.32, 1.59, and 2.41m in the southern boundaries. The findings of the study should be considered when studying the management of GW resources and the impacts of climate change on the ND.