Volume 15, Issue 2, April 2016, Pages 264–274
Amira Mekni1 and Abderrazek Souissi2
1 Water Science and Technology Laboratory, National Agronomy Institute of Tunis, University of Carthage, Tunisia
2 Water Science and Technology Laboratory, National Agronomy Institute of Tunis, University of Carthage, Tunisia
Original language: English
Copyright © 2016 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
The Korba aquifer on the North-Eastern of Cape Bon (Tunisia) has suffered from an overexploitation since the 1960s. This overexploitation has caused a seawater intrusion and a degradation of groundwater quality. Therefore, as part of planning and development of water resources in Tunisia, artificial recharge by treated wastewater was installed in the north of Korba treatment plant since December 2008. The process could act as a barrier for seawater intrusion hydraulic barrier to combat saltwater intrusion and to maintain the quality of groundwater. After 4 years, piezometric maps established from 18 piezometers and 25 observation wells measured showed a progressive increase in piezometric level locally between 2008 and 2012. The increase of piezometric level exceeds 1.5 m per year in some regions, especially around the recharge site. The salinity distribution in 2012 revealed a decrease in groundwater salinity around the recharge area and in the northwest. In addition, stability in a 1 km-wide band parallel to the sea through recharge site was showed. However, in the northwest of the recharge site, high salinity was observed and reaching 7.5 g/l in some wells. The spatial variability of groundwater quality illustrates the complexity of the aquifer contamination by salinization and anthropic activities.
Author Keywords: Korba aquifer, seawater intrusion, artificial recharge, piezometric level, salinity, anthropic activities.
Amira Mekni1 and Abderrazek Souissi2
1 Water Science and Technology Laboratory, National Agronomy Institute of Tunis, University of Carthage, Tunisia
2 Water Science and Technology Laboratory, National Agronomy Institute of Tunis, University of Carthage, Tunisia
Original language: English
Copyright © 2016 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
The Korba aquifer on the North-Eastern of Cape Bon (Tunisia) has suffered from an overexploitation since the 1960s. This overexploitation has caused a seawater intrusion and a degradation of groundwater quality. Therefore, as part of planning and development of water resources in Tunisia, artificial recharge by treated wastewater was installed in the north of Korba treatment plant since December 2008. The process could act as a barrier for seawater intrusion hydraulic barrier to combat saltwater intrusion and to maintain the quality of groundwater. After 4 years, piezometric maps established from 18 piezometers and 25 observation wells measured showed a progressive increase in piezometric level locally between 2008 and 2012. The increase of piezometric level exceeds 1.5 m per year in some regions, especially around the recharge site. The salinity distribution in 2012 revealed a decrease in groundwater salinity around the recharge area and in the northwest. In addition, stability in a 1 km-wide band parallel to the sea through recharge site was showed. However, in the northwest of the recharge site, high salinity was observed and reaching 7.5 g/l in some wells. The spatial variability of groundwater quality illustrates the complexity of the aquifer contamination by salinization and anthropic activities.
Author Keywords: Korba aquifer, seawater intrusion, artificial recharge, piezometric level, salinity, anthropic activities.
How to Cite this Article
Amira Mekni and Abderrazek Souissi, “The effectiveness of artificial recharge by treated wastewater in combating seawater intrusion – The case study of Korba-El Mida aquifer (Cape Bon, Tunisia),” International Journal of Innovation and Applied Studies, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 264–274, April 2016.
