Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Utilizing non-traditional data sources for estimating channel seepage losses

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Environmental Earth Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Accurate streamflow data, which constitute the basic component in estimating seepage losses or gains in streamflow are in short supply in developing countries. The lack of either financial or technical resources, or both, and at times, the lack of understanding of the importance of accurate streamflow measurements in supporting modeling and water resources decision making process hinder the installation and proper maintenance of streamflow gauges. Therefore, the current study adopted the aim of demonstrating the feasibility of utilizing alternative streamflow data sources in hydrologic studies. In the current study, such sources included effluent from a large wastewater treatment plant as an inflow to the river segment under consideration while the outflow from the same river segment was taken to be the flow discharged into a dam reservoir as calculated from daily dam reservoir water balance. A water balance was established for a 48 km segment on the Zarqa River in Jordan with components covering the inputs of discharge from springs, and wastewater treatment plants and outputs such as direct evaporation, and surface withdrawals for irrigation purposes. Channel seepage was estimated as the difference between inputs and outputs of the river segment water balance. Final results demonstrated the feasibility of utilizing non-traditional data sources, whenever available, to conduct analysis that traditionally has not been possible.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

AZB:

Amman–Zarqa Basin

CC:

Crop consumption

JMD:

Jordan Meteorological Department

KSWWTP:

Kherbit Elsamra Wastewater Treatment Plant

KTDR:

King Talal Dam Reservoir

MCM:

Million cubic meters

MWI:

Ministry of Water and Irrigation

WAJ:

Water Authority of Jordan

References

  • Abdulrazzak MJ (1995) Losses of flood water from alluvial channels. Arid Land Res Manage 9(1):15–24

    Google Scholar 

  • Abdulrazzak MJ, Morel-Seytoux HJ (1983) Recharge from an ephemeral stream following wetting front arrival to water table. Water Resour Res 19(1):194–200

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Al Farajat M, Ansari AL, Mashagbeh A, Abou Salah A, R (2005) Hydrogeophysical and environmental investigations of groundwater potentials in Al Sokhna alluvium aquifer in Zarqa—Jordan. J Dep Hydrogeol Environ Univ Würzburg Ger 33(7):1–15 (10 Abb., 8 Tab)

    Google Scholar 

  • Alam MM, Bhutta MN (2004) Comparative evaluation of canal seepage investigation techniques. J Agric Water Manage 66:65–76

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Al-Zyoud S, Rühaak W, Forootan E, Sass I (2015) over exploitation of groundwater in the centre of Amman Zarqa Basin—Jordan: evaluation of well data and GRACE satellite observations. Resources 4(4):819–830

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arnott S, Hilton J, Webb BW (2009) The impact of geological control on flow accretion in lowland permeable catchments. Hydrol Res 40(6):533–543

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bajjali W, Al-Hadidi K, Ismail M (2015) Water quality and geocheistry evaluation of the groundwater upstream and downstream of the Khirbet Al-Smara wastewater treatment plant/Jordan. J Appl Water Sci 5:1–17

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Calver A (2001) Riverbed permeabilities: information from pooled data. Groundwater 39(4):546–533

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cey EE, Rudolph DL, Parkin GW, Aravena R (1999) Quantifying groundwater discharge to a small perennial stream in southern Ontario Canada. J Hydrol (Amsterdam) 210(1/4):21–37

    Google Scholar 

  • Cook PG (2015) Quantifying river gain and loss at regional scales. J Hydrol 531:749–758

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dagès C, Voltz JG, Lacas O, Huttel O, Negro S, Louchart X (2008) An experimental study of water table recharge by seepage losses from a ditch with intermittent flow. Hydrol Process 22:3555–3563

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fipps G (2005) Potential water savings in irrigated agriculture for the Rio Grande Planning Region (Region M), 2005 Update. Texas Water Resour Inst., Texas A&M Univ., College Station

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodrich DC, Williams DG, Unkrich CL, Hogan JF, Scott RL, Hultine KR, Pool D, Coes AL, Miller S (2004) Comparison of methods to estimate ephemeral channel recharge, Walnut Gulch, San Pedro River Basin, Arizona. In: Phillips FM, Hogan JF, Scanlon B (eds) Groundwater recharge in a desert environment: the southwestern United States. American Geophysical Union, Washington DC, pp 77–99

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Gu R, Deutschman M (2001) Hydrologic assessment of water losses in river. J Water Resour Plann Manage 127:6–12

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harte PT, Kiah RG (2009) Measured river leakages using conventional streamflow techniques: the case of Souhegan River, New Hampshire, USA. Hydrogeology 17(2):409–424

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Izbicki JA (2002) Geologic and hydrologic controls on the movement of water through a thick, heterogeneous unsaturated zone underlying an intermittent stream in the western Mojave Desert, southern California. Water Resour Res 38(3):2-1–2-14

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kalbus E, Reinstorf F, Schirmer M (2006) Measuring methods for groundwater-surface water interactions: a review. Hydro Earth Syst Sci 10:873–887

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kinzli K-D, Martinez M, Oad R, Prior A, Gensler D (2010) Using an ADCP to determine canal seepage loss in an irrigation district. Agric Water Manage 97(6):801–810

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lange J (2005) Dynamics of transmission losses in a large arid stream channel. J Hydrol 306:112–126

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Langhoff JH, Rasmussen KR, Christensen S (2006) Quantification and regionalization of groundwater-surface water interaction along an alluvial stream. J Hydrol 320:342–358

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martin CA, Gates TK (2014) Uncertainty of canal seepage losses estimated using flowing water balance with acoustic Doppler devises. J Hydrol 517:746–761

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McKenzie RS, Craig AR (2001) Evaluation of river losses from the Orange River using hydraulic modelling. J Hydrol 241:62–69

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morin E, Grodek T, Dahan O, Benito G, Kulls C, Jacoby Y, Van Langenhove G, Seely M, Enzel Y (2009) Flood routing and alluvial aquifer recharge along the ephemeral arid Kuiseb River, Nambia. J Hydrol 368:262–275

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Niswonger R, Prudic D, Fogg G, Stonestrom D, Buckland E (2008) Method for estimating spatially variable seepage loss and hydraulic conductivity in intermittent and ephemeral streams. Water Resour Res 44(5):W05418

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Opsahl SP, Chapal SE, Hicks DW, Wheeler CK (2007) Evaluation of groundwater and surface-water exchanges using streamflow difference analyses. J Am Water Resour Assoc 43:1132–1141

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ruehl C, Fisher AT, Hatch C, Los Hueryos M, Stemlet G, Shennan C (2006) Differential gauging and tracer tests resolve seepage fluxes in a strongly-losing stream. J Hydrol 330:235–248

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schmadel NM, Neilson BT, Stevens DK (2010) Approaches to estimate uncertainty in longitudinal channel water balances. J Hydrol 394:357–369

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shahin M (2007) Water resources and hydrometeorology of the Arab region. Springer, Dordrecht

    Google Scholar 

  • Shaikh IA, Lee TS (2015) Estimating earthen tertiary water channel seepage losses as a function of soil texture. J Hydrol Eng 21:2 (06015012)

    Google Scholar 

  • Shanafield M, Cook PG (2014) Transmission losses, infiltration and groundwater recharge through ephemeral and intermittent streambeds: a review of applied methods. J Hydrol 511:518–529

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shaqour F, Taany R, Rimawi O, Saffarini G (2015) Quantifying specific capacity and salinity variability in Amman Zarqa Basin, Central Jordan, using empirical statistical and geostatistical techniques. J Environ Monit Assess 188(1):1–17

    Google Scholar 

  • Sorman AU, Abdulrazzak MJ (1993) Infiltration-recharge through Wadi beds in arid regions. Hydrol Sci J 38(3):173–186

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Subyani AM (2004) Use of chloride-mass balance and environmental isotopes for evaluation of groundwater recharge in the alluvial aquifer, Wadi Tharad, western Saudi Arabia. Environ Geol 46(6):741–749

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tanji KK, Kielen NC (2002) Agricultural drainage water management in arid and semi-arid areas. In: FAO irrigation and drainage paper no. 61. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy

    Google Scholar 

  • Villeneuve S, Cook PG, Shanafield M, Wood C, White N (2015) Groundwater recharge via infiltration through an ephemeral riverbed, central Australia. J Arid Environ 117:47–58

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vogt T, Schneider P, Hahn-Woernle L, Cirpka OA (2010) Estimation of seepage rates in a losing stream by means of fiber-optic high-resolution vertical temperature profiling. J Hydrol 380:154–164

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yussuff SMH, Chauhan HS, Kumar M, Srivastava VK (1994) Transient canal seepage to sloping aquifer. J Irrig Drain Eng 120(1):97–109

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the Jordanian Ministry of Water and Irrigation, the Jordan Valley Authority, the Water Authority of Jordan, and Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD) for providing vital data that allowed us to complete this work.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The German Jordanian University, Madaba Street, P.O. Box 35247, Amman, 11180, Jordan

    M. A. Alsmadi & Q. Abdelal

Authors
  1. M. A. Alsmadi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Q. Abdelal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to M. A. Alsmadi.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Alsmadi, M.A., Abdelal, Q. Utilizing non-traditional data sources for estimating channel seepage losses. Environ Earth Sci 77, 641 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-018-7829-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-018-7829-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation