International Journal of
Water Resources and Environmental Engineering

  • Abbreviation: Int. J. Water Res. Environ. Eng.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 2141-6613
  • DOI: 10.5897/IJWREE
  • Start Year: 2009
  • Published Articles: 347

Full Length Research Paper

Modeling of contaminant transport in 10th of Ramadan City Area, East Delta, Egypt

S. Khalaf
  • S. Khalaf
  • Irrigation and Hydraulics Department, Faculty of Engineering, Mansoura University, Egypt.
  • Google Scholar
Mohammed Ibrahim Gad
  • Mohammed Ibrahim Gad
  • Hydrology Department, Desert Research Center, Cairo, Egypt.
  • Google Scholar


  •  Received: 29 September 2015
  •  Accepted: 11 November 2015
  •  Published: 31 December 2015

Abstract

The establishment of new communities and land reclamation projects in the Egyptian desert areas is one of the most important national targets. One of these areas is the 10th of Ramadan city. The main goal of the study is concerned with delineation of groundwater contaminants plume in the future. The results show that; the ions concentrations of most samples from the oxidation ponds resources contain concentrations of Al3+, Cr2+, Fe2+, Ni2+ and Sr2+ exceeding the acceptable limit of WHO (1996) standards. Also, most of the groundwater samples are polluted with Al3+ and Fe2+ and Sr2+ ions. The infiltration from the oxidation ponds and expansion of reclaimed lands irrigated with wastewater reflect critical environmental hazards. The results of the groundwater flow and transport simulation reveal contamination plume expansion. It will travel 1.8, 2.1 and 2.3 km due NE direction after for Al3+, Fe2+ and Sr2+contaminants respectively.  It is strongly recommended that wastes from oxidation ponds must not be used in irrigation without tertiary treatment. The oxidation ponds to minimize the pollution of groundwater with heavy metals is highly recommended.
 
Key words: Hydrogeology, heavy metals, MODFLOW, contaminant transport simulation, 10th of Ramadan City.