TC Jordan: Groundwater Resources Management

Report of the project:

• Jordan - Management of Groundwater Resources

Background:
Jordan is considered one of the most water scarce countries in the world. Groundwater is the most important source for the water supply of Jordan. Population growth, rising use of groundwater for irrigation purposes and illegal abstractions have increased the stress on existing groundwater resources.

In the framework of the technical cooperation project "Groundwater Resources Management of Jordan", funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Jordanian Ministry of Water and Irrigation (MWI) and the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) are undertaking the following activities:

• Compilation and publication of a "Water Year Book"
• Carrying out a comprehensive nationwide groundwater inventory
• Enhancement of the Decision Support Systems (DSS)

This work and technical research is helping to improve the management of water resources by the Jordanian Ministry.

Water Year Book 2016-2017

Water Year Book:
Within this activity, actual hydrological and hydrogeological data has been collected, evaluated, validated, graphically displayed, and published as "Water Year Book". The publication presents water resources monitoring data through maps, diagrams, charts, and trends describing the state of Jordan's water resources in detail.

A team consisting of technical and scientific staff from the MWI, the Water Authority of Jordan (WAJ), and BGR has carried out a needs assessment through a survey among the relevant target groups to define the content and structure of the yearbook. The yearbook covers the topics meteorology, springs, dams, groundwater, hydrochemistry, and water infrastructure. It also discusses each year changes from the average hydrological and hydrogeological conditions. The first Water Year Book was issued for the year 2016/2017 and annual updates will be published by the MWI in the future.

Groundwater Inventory:
In 2017 a nationwide groundwater inventory, the second after 1995, has been conducted in order to present and assess the current hydrogeological situation based on the latest available data. Using actual water level measurements, a groundwater contour map has been prepared for the main aquifer A7/B2. This map serves as a base for further thematic maps in which the depth to water level, the drawdown since 1995 and the saturated thickness are shown.

Groundwater contour map for the A7/B2 aquifer

The results reveal a continuous decrease of groundwater levels in monitoring wells. Falling dry of production wells and springs are further indicators of a very critical groundwater resources situation in Jordan.

Natural groundwater flow conditions, water levels from before recent groundwater development within the A7/B2 aquifer are affected by the high abstraction rates, especially in the northern part of Jordan, where a regional groundwater cone of depression has developed. Instead of flowing towards the Azraq oasis (as in 1995), groundwater flows now towards a cone of depression in the Northwest.

Unsaturated areas west of Mafraq had already been mapped in 1995. However, these areas have today significantly expanded towards the west.

Difference map of groundwater contour lines for the A7/B2 aquifer

A difference map of the groundwater contour lines from 1995 and 2017 has been compiled. It shows that almost the whole western country is affected by an additional drawdown. In some regions, the additional drawdown since 1995 amounts to more than 100 meters, pumping heights reach up to 300 m to bring groundwater to the surface. This significant drawdown correlates with high groundwater abstractions in many areas. Also, it is assumed that legal and public groundwater extraction is not the cause for the strong decline of groundwater levels but an illegal overuse.

Under current conditions, the drawdown will continue and the extension of unsaturated areas will consequently increase. Consequently, a significant number of wells face the risk of falling dry in the coming years and will either have to be abandoned or deepened into underlying aquifers.

Decision Support System (DSS):
A DSS has been developed with the support of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the BGR to assist the MWI in the strategic management of water resources and to assess the impact of the measures planned to mitigate the serious challenges identified in the recent groundwater inventory.

The DSS consists of a previously developed and continuously updated national Water Evaluation And Planning System (WEAP) that simulates the water distribution processes in the water supply network and a countrywide numerical groundwater flow model that assesses and quantifies all relevant groundwater resources in Jordan.

Groundwater Flow Model:
The groundwater flow model comprises the geologic rock units from the Ram Group to Basalt and Alluvium with aquifers and aquitards hydraulically distinguished. The groundwater flow regime for the lower sandstone aquifers is understood to be driven by an inflow from Saudi Arabia and Iraq and a discharge to the Dead Sea. The upper limestone and basaltic aquifers are naturally recharged by precipitation and discharging to wadis and springs, especially at the Jordan Grabenshoulder. Both aquifer systems reveal significantly different flow directions and groundwater heads.

Groundwater flow model of Jordan

The transient groundwater model simulates the period 1960 - 2017. The observed decline of groundwater levels is reproduced, taking into account the vast heterogeneity of its development over time and different aquifers throughout Jordan. Looking at individual monitoring wells, the calculated drawdown and temporal trends are often in good accordance with the observed data at early simulation times. However, calculated heads do not reproduce the stronger decline observed more recently. Applying landuse data and estimated crop water demand to better estimate groundwater abstraction rates, than only by applying the licensed abstraction rates, leads to calculated groundwater heads that are consistent with the observed groundwater levels. This is indicator of the likelihood that in this area illegal abstractions are taking place. The groundwater model reproduces well the observed hydraulic processes like the reversed flow directions in the Azraq area, the drying up of Azraq springs and the decline of baseflow discharging to Zarqa river.

The groundwater flow model has been applied to predict long-term groundwater development in Jordan showing a further decline of groundwater levels and revealing areas with reduced groundwater availability in the future. Especially areas in the North of Jordan are affected by a significant groundwater level decrease but also major groundwater abstraction sites in the South of Jordan are subject to a significant drop of groundwater levels of more than 2 m drawdown per year.

The results of the groundwater model are in good agreement with the results of the groundwater inventory and support its findings.

Coupled WEAP-Modflow DSS:
The groundwater model and the WEAP model are coupled in order to improve the results of the WEAP model. Within WEAP a simple bucket-model is used to assume groundwater availability. Hydraulic processes and limitations of groundwater availability due to declining water levels and wells falling dry are normally not considered. To add such information to the WEAP simulation, it is coupled to the groundwater model using the coupling software tool LinkKitchen. The coupling is currently work in progress and preliminary results are promising.

Report "Groundwater Resource Assessment of Jordan 2017"

The coupling procedure enables the user to easily investigate several scenarios without interfering with the numerical groundwater flow model, since the linkage software assigns all groundwater related boundary conditions in the groundwater model for every time step and several scenarios automatically. Results for all scenarios can be analysed simultaneously within WEAP.

The model-based predictions shall be included in the strategic groundwater resources management and shall support the planning of measures to mitigate adverse developments.

Groundwater Assessment:
The results of the nationwide groundwater inventory and the groundwater flow model contributed to the publication "Groundwater Resource Assessment of Jordan 2017". The report assesses the current status of groundwater in Jordan and compares it with the situation in 1995.

Literature:

Reports:

• BREULMANN, M., BRÜCKNER, F., TOLL, M., VAN AFFERDEN, M., BECKER, M.-Y., AL-SUBEH, A., SUBAH, A. & MÜLLER, R.A. (2019): Vulnerable Water Resources in Jordan: Hot Spots. - Ministry of Water and Irrigation (MWI), Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) & Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), Amman, Leipzig, Hannover; 39 p., ISBN 978-3-944280-09-7 (PDF, 34 MB)
• MWI & BGR (Ministry of Water and Irrigation; Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe). (2019): Groundwater Resource Assessment of Jordan 2017. - 151 p., ISBN 978-9923-9769-0-6 (PDF, 54 MB) (For annexes 1 - 13 of this report see maps below)
• MWI (2018): Water Year Book - Hydrological Year 2016-2017. 111 p.; Amman, Jordan. (PDF, 12 MB)

Maps: (We recommend to download the files first and then to open them, as not every browser displays the maps adequately)

• Simplified Hydrogeological Map of Jordan 1:650,000 (PDF, 59 MB)
• Cross Sections for the Hydrological Units in Jordan 1:322,000 (PDF, 15 MB)
• Groundwater Level Contour Map of the Deep Sandstone Aquifer System and the Kurnub Aquifer 2017, 1:650,000 (PDF, 54 MB)
• Depth to Groundwater in the Deep Sandstone Aquifer System 2017, 1:650,000 (PDF, 53 MB)
• Groundwater Level Contour Map of the A1/A6 Aquifer Complex 2017, 1:650,000 (PDF, 55 MB)
• Depth to Groundwater in the A1/A2, A4 and A1/A6 Aquifer System 2017, 1:500,000 (PDF, 57 MB)
• Saturated Thickness of the A1/A2, A4, and A1/A6 Aquifer Complex 2017, 1:500,000 (PDF, 55 MB)
• Groundwater Level Contour Map of the A7/B2 Aquifer 2017, 1:650,000 (PDF, 60 MB)
• Depth to Groundwater in the A7/B2 Aquifer 2017, 1:650,000 (PDF, 59 MB)
• Saturated Thickness of the A7/B2 Aquifer 2017, 1:650,000 (PDF, 59 MB)
• Difference in Groundwater Levels of the A7/B2 Aquifer between 1995 and 2017, 1:650,000 (PDF, 59 MB)
• Spring Classification and Five-Year Average Discharge 1:650,000 (PDF, 52 MB)
• Groundwater Vulnerability Map of the Ajloun and Balqa Group Aquifers 1:650,000 (PDF, 54 MB)

Presentations / Posters:

• ALSHRAIDEH, S., GROPIUS, M. & SHAHEEN, H. (2019): WEAP-MODFLOW Decision Support System (DSS) for Jordan. - Presentation held at 5th Arab Water Week 2019, March 3 - 5, King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Center, Dead Sea, Jordan.
• BAHLS, R. & , AL-ROUD, R. (2019): Development of Groundwater Resources of Jordan from 1995 to present. - Presentation held at 5th Arab Water Week 2019, March 3 - 5, King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Center, Dead Sea, Jordan.
• DAHABIYEH, M. & GROPIUS, M. (2019): Numerical Groundwater Flow Model of Jordan. - Presentation held at 5th Arab Water Week 2019, March 3 - 5, King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Center, Dead Sea, Jordan.

Films:

• Groundwater resources of Jordan – Current status and outlook
• How to make the invisible visible – Communication on groundwater