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Groundwater resource management based on three-dimensional flow modeling of Wadi Baysh aquifer system: southwestern Saudi Arabia

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Abstract

Regional groundwater modeling is a valuable tool for ensuring the sustainable development and management of groundwater resources as it allows the assessment of the aquifer behavior under different types of hydrological stresses. The objective of this study was to use 3D flow modeling to assess the best options for managing groundwater in the Wadi Baysh basin in Saudi Arabia. The model for the Wadi Baysh aquifer system was based on groundwater monitoring data for 10-year period from 2007 to 2016. The model was tested with different hydrological stresses until the year 2050. The model behavior shows that groundwater levels in Wadi Baysh aquifer show no signs of depletion at the current pumping rates. The impact of the water stored in the dam reservoir is clearly seen and the zone of influence is very well demarcated. At this stage, groundwater use in the Wadi Baysh aquifer system is sustainable and no decline in groundwater levels is observed.

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Acknowledgements

Authors express their gratitude and appreciation to King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) for providing the research grant Project (336-34-أت#). Authors are grateful to Professor Michael Schneider- Frei Berlin University-Germany for his guidance and contribution to this project. Authors express also their special gratitude and thanks to Mr. Syed Faisal Zaidi, Mohammad Albishi and Saud Al Gedaani of Water Research Center- King Abdulaziz University (KAU).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Water Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80208, Jeddah, 21589, Saudi Arabia

    Milad H. Z. Masoud

  2. Department of Hydrology and Water Resources Management, Faculty of Meteorology, Environment and Arid Land Agriculture, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80208, Jeddah, 21589, Saudi Arabia

    Jalal M. Basahi

  3. SGSRC, Department of Geology and Geophysics, College of Science, King Saud University, PO Box: 2455, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia

    Faisal K. Zaidi

  4. Hydrology Department, Desert Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt

    Milad H. Z. Masoud

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  1. Milad H. Z. Masoud
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  2. Jalal M. Basahi
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  3. Faisal K. Zaidi
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Correspondence to Faisal K. Zaidi.

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Masoud, M.H.Z., Basahi, J.M. & Zaidi, F.K. Groundwater resource management based on three-dimensional flow modeling of Wadi Baysh aquifer system: southwestern Saudi Arabia. Environ Earth Sci 78, 562 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-019-8575-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-019-8575-7

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