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Groundwater quality is a major environmental aspect which needs to be analyzed and managed depending on its spatial distribution. Utilization of insufficient management of groundwater resources in Gaza Strip, Palestine, produces not only a reduction in quantity but also deterioration in quality of groundwater. The aim of this study is to provide an overview for evaluation of groundwater quality in the Gaza Strip area as a case study for applying spatially distributed by using Geographic Information System (GIS) and geostatistical algorithms. The groundwater quality parameters, pH, total dissolved solids, total hardness, alkalinity, chloride, nitrate, sulfate, calcium, magnesium, and fluoride, were sampled and analyzed from the existing municipal and agricultural wells in Gaza Strip; maps of each parameter were created using geostatistical (Kriging) approach. Experimental semivariogram values were tested for different ordinary Kriging models to identify the best fitted for the ten water quality parameters and the best models were selected on the basis of mean square error (MSE), root mean square error (RMSE), average standard error (ASE), and root mean square standardized error (RMSSE). Maps of 10 groundwater quality parameters were used to calculate the groundwater quality index (GWQI) map using the index method. In general, the results showed that this integrated method is a sufficient assessment tool for environmental spatially distributed parameters.

The Gaza Strip is a highly populated, small area in which the groundwater is the main water source. During the last few decades, groundwater quality has deteriorated to a limit that the municipal tap water became brackish and unsuitable for human consumption in most parts of the Strip. To overcome this serious situation, the reverse osmosis (RO) technology is used to replace the tap water or to improve its quality. Several privet Palestinian water investing companies established a small-scale reverse osmosis (RO) desalination plants to cover the shortage of the good quality of drinking water in the whole Gaza Strip. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the chemical and bacteriological water qualities of different small scale of (RO) desalination companies in the Gaza Strip. The results of the chemical and bacteriological parameters were compared with World Health Organization (WHO) standard. It was concluded that all chemical analyses of RO produced water are within the allowable WHO limits. Bacteriological analyses indicate that 25% of produced water samples exceeded the maximum allowable value of the total coliform bacteria.

a b s t r a c tReuse of wastewater is a sustainable and renewable source of water, mainly used in the agricultural sector and can contribute to rural development. Agriculture is the second highest sector for water consumption in the Gaza Strip, using more than 50% of water abstractions from the stressed polluted Gaza's coastal aquifer. This paper aims to present and evaluate two available wastewater post-treatment options which could be employed to reuse wastewater for agriculture in Gaza: sand filtration using a textured geomembrane sand filter and the Soil Aquifer Treatment (SAT) system. This evaluation is based on applying hierarchy grey relational analysis and the comparison matrix through an environmental assessment for each option using a semi-empirical methodology that combines results from field tests and computer hydrological simulations. In addition, it is based on a social and economic and the operational aspects for the Gaza City Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) and its infiltration basin. The evaluation factors for the two options are juxtaposed in a Comparison Matrix with associated weighted scores and predefined scales to quantify the evaluation process before using the hierarchy grey relational analysis. The results show that the operational costs and the environmental aspects are the main factors that affect the evaluation process for wastewater post-treatment options. The sand filtration (with textured geomembrane) option is ranked higher than the SAT system for this particular case study with an overall integrated grey relational grade equal to 0.3276, compared to 0.2596 for the SAT system.