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Corresponding Author

El-Ghandour, Hamdy

Subject Area

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Article Type

Original Study

Abstract

Groundwater contamination is a very serious problem as it leads to the deterioration of groundwater resources. Saltwater intrusion is a special category of groundwater contamination that threatens the health and possibly lives of many people living in coastal areas. The installation of injection of treatment water is among several methods proposed to control saltwater intrusion on coastal groundwater system. In this research, a two-dimensional numerical model is developed for simulating both groundwater flow and saltwater intrusion of Quaternary Aquifer in Delta Wadi El-Arish (QADWA). The sharp interface philosophy is adopted to simulate dynamics of freshwater flow. The proposed model applied a coupled Finite Element Method (FEM) and Finite Difference Method (FDM) to predict the temporal migration of interface toe due to injection of treatment water. Model calibration is carried out to determine the physical parameters of the proposed model. Then, model verification and validation are established by comparing model results with the actual measurements. This study is considered a trial to present a solution for the problem of saltwater intrusion by finding general relationships between average distances of saltwater intrusion and injected rates of treatment water. Then, the suitable value of recharged water can be mathematically determined. The results obtained from this study are useful in management schemes of saltwater intrusion mitigation in coastal areas.

Keywords

Saltwater intrusion; Finite element method; Sharp interface; Injection wells; Quaternary aquifer

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