Impact Of The Proposed Qattara Reservoir On The Moghra Aquifer Of Northwestern Egypt

This paper examines hydrogeologic effects of proposed diversion of water from the Mediterranean Sea to the Qattara Depression for generation of electricity in northwestern Egypt. The Lower Miocene Moghra aquifer directly underlies the Qattara Depression, extending to the east and dipping beneath younger formations to the north. The Qattara Depression is a sink for ground-water flow from the Nile Delta aquifer in the east, the Mediterranean Sea in the north, and the Nubian artesian aquifer in the south. In this study, a two-dimensional finite-difference model was used in conjunction with available meteorologic, geologic, and hydrologic data to characterize the present ground-water conditions in this aquifer and to make predictions about the water-table rise which could occur as a result of the proposed Qattara Reservoir. Model predictions indicate that creation of the reservoir could cause a 30-meter rise of the Moghra aquifer's water table in the central part of the Qattara Depression. This water-table rise decreases to the north and east. Transient simulations indicate that steady-state conditions in the modeled area of the Moghra aquifer are not likely to be reached during the expected 100-year lifetime of the reservoir.