US-Egypt Cooperative Research: Study of Factors Affecting Chemical Composition of Groundwater in the Nile Delta

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9904791SharpDescription: This award is for support of a joint research project by Dr. John M. Sharp, and Dr. Philip Bennett, Department of Geological Sciences, the University of Texas, Austin, Texas and Dr. Abdel Hamid Noweir and Dr. Ahmed El-Shishtawy, Geology Department, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt. These scientists will conduct geological and geochemical studies to assess the influence of superficial deposits on groundwater quality in the central area of the Nile Delta. They plan to evaluate the levels and distribution of trace elements in the groundwater. Specific attention will be paid to trace elements which affect the quality of water for human consumption. Among the elements to be studied are Eh and Fe2+ The hypothesis is that water quality characteristics are related to specific minerals, organic matter, and the geochemical environment in strategraphic units or zones, that mapping of hydrostrategraphic units by wells and geophysics can delineate these zones, and that a program can be developed to provide potable water. In the first part of the project the Egyptian team will conduct sampling and analysis of collected samples of groundwater from areas of specific geological formations. In the second part of the project detailed analysis of the samples will characterize the hydrogeological properties of the surficial deposits. The analysis will include grain size distribution, permeability, transmissivity, Attenberg Limits of fine-grained cuttings, SEM, X-ray diffraction and other petrographic analyses. Scope: This award will allow US scientists to collaborate with Egyptian scientists in a project that deals with an important problem. Water use in many developing, and also in developed, countries is increasingly dependent on the availability of potable groundwater. This in turn is dependent on the geological conditions, namely mineralogy of the region as well as the water movement. The importance of the study to the people living within the Nile Delta is clear. The topic is important as it involves looking at rocks and at water chemistry together. Sharp is considered a leading hydrogeologist, and Bennett is a well-known geochemist. The knowledge-base generated will be very important to the people of Egypt, as growing populations put increasing pressure on water supplies, and rising sea levels cause salt-water intrusion into the freshwater zone. It is expected that articles suitable for publication in international science journals will be forthcoming. This proposal meets the INT objective of supporting US-foreign scientific collaboration in areas of mutual benefit.