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Aquifer characteristics and water quality of Miocene–Pleistocene sediments, Kuwait

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Abstract

Al-Atraf is one of the water well fields of Kuwait supplying Kuwait City with the brackish groundwater obtained from the Kuwait Group aquifer of Miocene–Pleistocene age. The study determined the hydrogeological and hydrochemical characteristics of the groundwater in order to identify the major chemical processes that influence the groundwater quality of the study area. The results of the aquifer test analyses indicate that the Kuwait Group is a confined to semi-confined aquifer, with a transmissivity ranging between 62 and 321 m2/day. The flow net analysis implied that the groundwater moves from southwest to northeast. The estimated transmissivity values agree well with those calculated from the aquifer test. The results of the chemical analyses data of the Al-Atraf field show that the groundwater is mainly brackish, of NaCl and Na2SO4 water types. The groundwater is undersaturated with respect to halite, gypsum and anhydrite and supersaturated with respect to quartz, dolomite and calcite in the direction of groundwater flow. The average Pco2 of the groundwater is higher than the Pco2 of the earth’s atmosphere indicating that the groundwater is supplied with CO2 during the infiltration processes and dissolves the carbonate minerals under closed-system conditions.

Résumé

Al-Atraf est l’un des champs de captage d’eau du Koweït, approvisionnant la ville de Koweït à partir d’eaux saumâtres tirées de l’aquifère du Groupe de Koweït, d’âge Mio-Pliocène. L’étude a concerné les caractéristiques hydrogéologiques et hydrochimiques de l’eau souterraine afin d’identifier les principaux processus chimiques contrôlant la qualité de ces eaux. Les résultats de ces analyses montrent que le Groupe de Koweït est un aquifère captif ou semi-captif, avec une transmissivité variable de 62 á 321 m2/j. L’analyse du réseau d’écoulement montre un écoulement du sud-ouest vers le nord-ouest. Le caractère saumâtre de ces eaux est confirmé par les analyses chimiques, avec des types d’eaux riches en NaCl ou en Na2SO4. L’eau est sous-saturée en halite, gypse, et anhydrite et sursaturée en quartz, dolomite et calcite. La pression partielle P CO2 de l’eau souterraine est plus élevée que la pression partielle de l’atmosphère en surface, indiquant que l’eau souterraine se charge en CO2 durant le processus d’infiltration et dissout des carbonates en conditions de système fermé.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to express their thanks to the Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) Kuwait for providing the chemical analyses and pumping test data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Kuwait University, PO Box 5969, 13060, Safat , Kuwait

    F. M. Al-Ruwaih & H. A. Qabazard

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  1. F. M. Al-Ruwaih
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  2. H. A. Qabazard
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Correspondence to F. M. Al-Ruwaih.

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Al-Ruwaih, F.M., Qabazard, H.A. Aquifer characteristics and water quality of Miocene–Pleistocene sediments, Kuwait. Bull Eng Geol Environ 64, 175–191 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-004-0253-6

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