Pumping Test for Dammam Confined Aquifer and Geochemical Specification Within Najaf Governorate Iraq

Abstract

The Dammam Aquifer is one of the most significant aquifers in the Western Desert of Iraq. It provides groundwater for life and agriculture in the region. The study focused on the Dammam Aquifer in the Najaf Governorate. Far from being held accountable, the indiscriminate and haphazard drilling of hundreds of illegal wells by local citizens has depleted the aquifer. Seven wells drilled by government institutions were chosen to reassess the hydrological properties of the aquifer by using pumping test operations. To be fully aware of Dammam Aquifer attributes in the study area, first, the data were obtained from the measuring of the groundwater levels (pumping test) and then secondly were interpreted by using the AQTESOLV program version 4.50, which have been recorded in the following several tables Compared with the previous studies, the data of transmissivity, hydraulic conductivity, and specific capacity, confirm a drawdown in the Dammam confined aquifer. The geochemical analyses for 2008, 2016, and 2021 point to a decline in the properties of Dammam groundwater, since they represent an increase in the total dissolved salt of water. Due to the indiscriminate drawing off the groundwater besides the global climate changes, the starting point of water depletion in the Dammam aquifer refers to the dropping down of the groundwater levels.