Water and Environmental Engineering

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Rainfall-Runoff Process and Modeling for Soreq Stream Sub-Basin Near Jerusalem
(2000) Mazin Husni Barakat; Dr. Hafez Shaheen; Dr. Anan Jayyousi
The Unit hydrograph and SCS methods were used here to simulate the runoff coefficient and the lag time from the mountainous sub-catchment of the Soreq stream near Jerusalem using the data obtained during the period 195-1994 for frequency analysis and IDF curves. Data obtained during the period 1994-1996 were used for the rainfall-runoff analysis. The investigated area is situated near Jerusalem in the watershed of the Soreq and Rantim streams that flow toward the Mediterranean. The drainage area studied is 167 km2 after excluding the urban area from the stream origin until the Beit Zayit (dam) reservoir. Intensity-Duration-Frequency curves were developed for this area by analyzing the historical data of the two rainfall stations using the Gumbel distribution. These curves can be used as a reference for the determination of rainfall intensity for different return periods to be used for drainage systems design. Some of the problems related to the study area are that the two western outlets of the raw sewage system of Jerusalem discharge towards Soreq stream. This sewage flow which is the flow measured at Hartov station during the dry periods along the Soreq stream is considered as a base flow all along the study. According to these measurements, considerable amounts of sewage water infiltrate along the Soreq stream. Representative events were analyzed during the study period in order to have an indication of the real amount of excess rainfall that causes the runoff.For each event the area under the direct runoff hydrograph (Vd) was calculated for the derivation of the excess rainfall. For the infiltration rate, the ¢ and W index methods were used. The average value of the Ø index was l6.77mm/hr. While the average value of the W index was 3.27mm/hr. The run off measured was about 0.3 % of the measured rainfall due to the high percolation rate into the karstic layers of the area. On the other hand, for each event the recession constant Kr, was evaluated .The average value of this constant for the above events was 0.9925. Unit hydrographs for these events were obtained. Each unit hydrograph of the above events have a different duration. The lag time measured for these events has an average of 609.25min, while using the equations of the SCS method the average was 334.11 min. This situation arises the problem of the sewage flow along the stream, which makes the runoff including the sewage deposits flow slowly towards the outlet. These results may be approximated by assuming that the lag time of this watershed equals the time of concentration, instead of 0.6 of the time of concentration as the SCS method suggests.
Rainfall - Runoff Process and Rainfall Analysis for Nablus Basin
(2000) Naim Ibrahim Al-Nubani; Dr. Hafez Shaheen; Dr. Anan Jayyousi
The analysis of precipitation is essential for the hydrological studies and design. For the West Bank, there is no enough precipitation data available especially for short duration, hourly and daily precipitation. Therefore it is essential to develop the required plots and relations and made their available for use. This should be achieved depending on the available rainfall data of specific durations such as producing the IDF curves. In order to contribute to this need, the rainfall data used for the Nablus district were collected from the Nablus Meteorological station and were used for the rainfall-runoff relationship as one other important issue was also discussed for one catchment area in Nablus district basing on the available rainfall data. The annual, monthly and daily precipitation data for Nablus Meteorological station were used in the analysis. Gumble distribution shows the best fit for annual rainfall. The analysis also included the development of the Intensity Duration Frequency curves for Nablus district. The most rainy month of January and the monthly rainfall distribution have the same style for the period of 1954-1998. Using the developed rainfall-runoff relation, Synthetic Unit Hydrograph was developed for Rujeep catchment near Nablus. It was found that the runoff occurs when the rainfall exceeds 48.5 mm for a period of 15-hr. It is proposed that efforts must be further invested into data gathering especially for stream flow data, intensity and duration of rainfall. These data should be used in the development of rainfall- runoff relationship for the different catchment areas.
Hydraulic Performance of Palestinian Water Distribution Systems(Jenin Water Supply Network as a Case Study)
(2003) Shaher Hussni Abdul Razaq Zyoud; Dr. Hafez Shaheen
The design of municipal water distribution systems in Palestine is implemented by using universal design factors without taking into consideration the effects of local conditions such as intermittent pumping, which is a way of operating the water distribution systems in most cities of developing world. By this way the water systems are divided into several pressure zones through which water is pumped alternatively and provided a large number of homes with a high quantity of water in a shorter period. This way makes the using of the roof storage tanks is very efficient during the non – pumping intervals, so that the hydraulic performance of the water networks expected to be affected by affecting the pressure and velocities values. To investigate the behavior of the water systems under the action of intermittent pumping, the Jenin water distribution network has been taken as a case study and a procedure of modeling the system as in reality depending on operational factors, ways of operating and managing the system, representing each cluster of houses by one consumption node, making control by check valves, modeling the system by using (WaterCad Program). The outputs show that the network is exposed to relatively high values of pressure and velocity, which have negative effects on the performance of the network. The comparison of pressure results and field measurements at specific locations shows a reasonable and small difference. The modeling of the system as continuous supply system depending on assumptions considering with future water consumption, availability of water, overcoming the problems of high pressures by using pressure reducing valves at specific locations, and assuming steady state analysis, shows the ability of the existing system to serve the Jenin area and to cope the future extension. The output values of velocities are parallel reasonably to the assumed limits of velocities (0.1 m/s – 0.3 m/s) to avoid stagnation and quality water problems, also the pressure values are within the limits of the design pressures in the residential areas. Further evaluation has been carried out to investigate the daily water consumption, daily peak factors and to study the variations of water levels in roof tanks under the conditions of continuous supply by implementing an experiment of monitoring daily water consumption for different consumers at different locations for a period of 15 days. The average daily peak factor was calculated to be 2.0, and a value of 75 l/c/d was recorded as average daily water consumption. Studying the reaction of domestic water meter on air in the intermittent water supply networks over a two supply periods in two locations in the system by applying an arrangement consists of a regular and additional water meter, check valves and air release valve shows that the readings of the regular water meter are larger than the measurements of the additional water meter with a range of 5% - 8%. This difference depends on factors of location; consumer’s behavior and pressure drop in the system. The evaluation study of the water hammer in the Jenin distribution system, which has been implemented to investigate the effects of this phenomena shows that the water hammer values increase by increasing the velocity of water in pipes, and the values of shock pressures were within the limits of the shock pressures in water pipes systems.
Appraisal of Socio-Economic and Cultural Factors Affecting Wastewater Reuse in the West Bank
(2003) Samer "Mohammad Adnan" Fareed Al- Kharouf; Dr. Marwan Haddad; Dr. Hafez Shaheen
The reuse of treated wastewater offers opportunities of reducing demand on scarce potable water resources, especially within the semi-arid environment of the West Bank. The benefit of such additional supplies of water is further augmented by a reduction in the disposal of raw wastewater to the nearby wadis existing in the West Bank. Importantly, social acceptance issues may pose a barrier to the effective use of this resource should the concept not be comprehensively presented. This research highlights the potential for reuse of wastewater, identifies the areas of concern, and examines the most important factors that affect the wastewater in the Palestinian Territories, particularly in the West Bank. The research was conducted in the West Bank by applying questionnaires to different levels of the Palestinian community. The target groups were classified into four categories of different characteristics. The questionnaires included several questions which discuss several factors that may affect the concerns and hence the acceptance of the West Bank community. The most important factors that were taken into consideration are the social, religion, economic, health, political situation in the Palestinian Territories, scarce fresh water in the area in addition to the institutional situation related to water and wastewater sectors. The questionnaires were collected and analyzed. Several factors were found to be interacted and affect the community opinion. Recommendations were given at the end of the study. It was generally found that religion and traditions have negative effect of the acceptance to the wastewater reuse. In this context, the psychological factor has a negative effect on the opinion of the community. The public awareness is weak, the information provided to the community is not sufficient. Most of the respondents accepted the reuse if this would provide them with additional water quantities. Acceptability of reusing treated effluent decrease by increasing the opportunity to be utilized in human contact purposes or in unrestricted agriculture. People seem do not understand the religious opinion of the reuse. Most of the respondents of the four types considered the treated effluent unclean from a religious thinking.
Development of Management Options For industrial Wastewater in Nablus City
(2003) Rana "M. Saleh" Fares Al-Habash; Dr. Hafez Shaheen; Dr. Rashed Al-Sa'ed
Severe water shortage, threat of pollution to its limited resources, lack of national environmental enforcement measures and a concentrated and ever growing urban population are common features in Palestine. Low water consumption rates associated with high strength municipal wastewater production and lack of adequate municipal wastewater management exacerbate the situation. Efforts to reduce industrial pollution in Palestine like other developing countries, have focused on environmental institutions and legal frameworks, largely by establishing command-and control regulations. However, formal regulations alone were not very effective in reducing industrial pollution in these countries. Although there is no substitute for an environmental regulatory regime, there is a need to focus on incentives for action by the industrial sector. In this research study, management options for the industrial wastewater from the western and eastern areas of Nablus city are developed. These options including managerial and technical frameworks are based on the results obtained from field surveys, site visits, and data analysis of available literature as well as findings of the distributed questionnaires. Major findings obtained revealed that large quantities of industrial wastewater input and through-put features, such as sinkholes and waterways to the sensitive recharge areas of the aquifer system for Palestine. This unconscious practice would cause severe quality degradation to the groundwater and surrounding environment. Several innovative approaches emerged as effective ways to improve environmental compliance were analyzed and discussed. These approaches are based on: (l) introduction of cleaner production principles to reduce or minimize pollution loads discharged from coming out from industrial enterprises; (2) adoption of better environmental management practices to cope with different situations; (3) an elastic legal approach expressed through the state—of-art regulations; (4) introduction of new role of government to address the interaction between community and industrial market. However, to achieve the major aims set by these approaches, it is very important to involve the local government, industrial sector, local unions and NGO’s in preparing guidelines for an integrated environmental compliance. The potential heavy polluters related to industrial wastewater are determined at generation source and pollution type, the polluting practices, the existing effluent control, raw materials used and the end products. The results however suggest that the introduced technical and managerial frameworks entail the adoption of ISO 14000 for Environmental Management System (EMS), the implementation of low cost Cleaner Production Technology (CPT), the new governmental role to embark on information to address interaction between community and industrial market. Pollution discharge permits; formal monitoring and inspection, and Palestinian environmental roles were also introduced and discussed.
Groundwater Flow Modeling - Case Study of the Eocene Aquifer in the West Bank, Palestine
(2003) Hamees "Mohammad Sameh" Rawhi Tubeileh; Dr. Hafez Shaheen; Dr. Amjad Aliewi
The Eocene aquifer is one of the major groundwater basins in Palestine. It is located at the northeastern part of the West Bank covering areas in both Jenin and Nablus districts. The aquifer is considered one of the main sources for fresh water for the majority of the population in the northern West Bank. Many models have been formulated to develop the groundwater resources within the Eocene aquifer. In this thesis a simulation for the groundwater flow is developed. MODFLOW, as a strong available groundwater modeling tool, has been used to model the Eocene aquifer. The groundwater budget, flow computation and flow path lines were estimated and calibrated. Groundwater balance has been also evaluated. The modeling indicated that the model runs only for certain initial hydraulic groundwater levels of more than 340m. The recharge and hydraulic conductivity were found to be the most sensitive model parameters. The hydraulic conductivity has resulted double of the original value in some areas. This is due to neglecting the faults and fractures effect. The recharge coefficients resulted in high inflow values. Groundwater balance indicated that the water budget of the Eocene aquifer totals about 72MCM/yr. The simulation showed that the groundwater level increases gradually by increasing the recharge rate. The change of groundwater level is nearly linear. Due to the variation in the aquifer geometry, the groundwater levels were mild at the beginning and became steeper as the recharge ratio increase. The groundwater levels showed higher sensitivity to hydraulic conductivity as its value increases from moderate to high or from moderate to low values. There has been a reasonable matching between the observed and calibrated groundwater level and spring flows. The direction of the flow within the aquifer is from the south to north and northeast. The Far’ a spring system located in the south of the aquifer, seems to be the major sink point within the aquifer since it attracts most of the particle tracking lines in the model. This is due to its high discharge rates. Based on the results of this study it is recommended that groundwater wells located or proposed at or near the anticlinorium should be designed and operated carefully. The gradients and the modeling results indicate that a substantial quantity of groundwater flow across the eastern and the northeastern boundaries, materialized as lateral subsurface outflow. It is recommended that this good quality water could be tapped and exploited. Field investigations are recommended to verify the geological conditions. It is recommended to monitor the existing wells and springs permanently and to construct a reasonable additional monitoring network. this package can be applied to model groundwater transport model for the Eocene aquifer. A finer grid is important in order to control the variation in hydraulic properties. In this study the effects of the fractures (due to the faults) are neglected. So it is recommended to assess carefully the effect of the faults on the actual hydraulic conductivity.
Implications of Water Management Policies on Water Poverty in Palestine
(2004) Rawand Bassam Othman Bushnaq; Prof. Marwan Haddad
This research aimed at understanding and describing the impacts of alternative governmental policies on water supply and demand, poverty and income, water quality and water-related eco systems, and food production and food security, on public, and estimating and analyzing water poverty index using various published methods. To accomplish these objectives a field questionnaire and interviews have been developed. The population of the questionnaire was the residents of the West Bank. Interviews were held with persons from West Bank Water Department, Palestinian Water Authority, and Municipalities. The water poverty index was calculated using different approaches, Conventional Composite Index, Holistic, Matrix and WPI Pentagram,Simple Time Analysis, Falkenmark Water Stress. It was found based on results of field survey that the best approach in estimating water poverty index was the Holistic approach, the estimated water poverty index was WPI= 39.5 percent which indicates that the region faces a serious water problem. To analyze the results of the questionnaire, different statistical techniques have been used. These include means, standard deviations, and percentages, one way analysis of variance and Scheffe Post Hoc test, and independent T test. The main findings of the research were: 1. Significant differences between mails and females in the consumptions of water domain in favor to males. 2. Significant differences due to differences in the place of living for consumption of water, health situation, and sanitation services domains in favor to peoples living in cities. This may be due to the fact that still there are some villages not connected to network, also due to the economic situation for peoples living in villages and refugee camps. 3. Significant differences due to differences in the number of families in the house hold for the consumption of water and sanitation services domains. No differences are shown for the other domains. It is found that houses of one family consume less water than houses of two and three families. For sanitation services it is found that houses of one family have better services than houses of two and three families. 4. Significant differences due to differences in family members number for: supply of water, consumption of water, health situation, and water quality domains with favor to families of fewer members. 5. Significant differences due to differences in monthly income for: supply of water, sanitation services, and water quality domains with favor to higher monthly income. 6. No significant differences due to water percentage from monthly income for all domains. It was found that 15.4% of people's sample pay from 21-40% of their monthly income for water services which is a considerable percentage. 7. According to the sample surveyed, it was found that the standard of living was distributed according to the following categories as: 8. 46.3% of the sample surveyed was of better-off category, 9. 50.4% of the sample surveyed was of middle category, 10. 3.2% of the sample surveyed is of worse – off category. 11. Significant differences between existence of water tank and not for all the domains with favor to house with water tank. 12. Still there are some regions not connected to safe water and sanitation. As a consequence, water – and sanitation – related diseases are spread there. About 20% of the sample members were affected by water related diseases. 13. From the results of the interviews, it was found that the existing tariffs do not encourage water conservation, and are generally inadequate to recover operation and maintenance costs. 14. From the results of the interviews, it was found that the future tariff structure (developed by PWA) did not take into consideration those class of peoples whom can not pay for water. 15. Imports of virtual water on one hand could reduce agricultural water and as a consequence could help in alleviating water scarcity (by saving water for other purposes). But on the other hand could have negative impacts on Palestinians economical situation. 16. Low water prices and subsides for capital investment and operation and maintenance threaten the financial viability of irrigation and water supply. 17. There is no role for private sector in management or expansion of water sector services 18. The existing water allocation mechanisms are characterized as inefficient and not clear as they are a continuation of the system practiced before peace negotiation. 19. Clarifying and strengthening water rights can play an important role in improving water allocation equity and efficiency, while a lack of effective water rights systems creates major problems and inequities for managing increasingly scarce water. 20. Making the water rights tradable may have disadvantages more than benefits under the current situations. 21. Access to safe water is crucial for poor residents. Often women, the poor, and disadvantaged groups, including minorities and indigenous peoples, have unequal access to water, which can lead to even greater increases in poverty. 22. Privatization of water sector could help in improving access to water for the poor if privatization is done in a studied way. 23. Trade-off among multiple uses of water is possible if practiced under complete control. 24. Under the current situation, no real control over the complete system can be practiced, so policies and action regarding water pollution and quality are difficult to implement.
GIS-Based Hydrological Modeling of Semiarid Catchments (The Case of Faria Catchment)
(2005) Sameer ‘Mohammad Khairi’ Shhadi Abedel-Kareem; Dr. Hafez Q.Shaheen; Dr. Anan F.Jayyousi
Extreme events, such as severe storms, floods, and droughts are the main features characterizing the hydrological system of a region. In the West Bank, which is characterized as semiarid; little work has been carried out about hydrological modeling. This thesis is an attempt to model the rainfall-runoff process in Faria catchment, which is considered as one of the most important catchments of the West Bank. Faria catchment dominating the north eastern slopes of the West Bank is a catchment of about 334 km2 and has the semiarid characteristics of the region. The catchment is gauged by six rainfall stations and two runoff flumes. Statistical analysis including annual average, standard deviation, maximum and minimum rainfall was carried out for the rainfall stations. The internal consistency of rainfall measurements of the six stations was examined by using the double mass curve technique. The results show that all station measurements are internally consistent. Gumbel distribution fits well the annual rainfall and can be used for future estimations. It provides means to understand and evaluate the distribution characteristics of the rainfall in the Faria catchment. Trend analysis of the rainfall has shown an increasing trend for the stations with high elevations and a decreasing trend for low elevated ones. The multiple regression analysis applied to the six rainfall stations proved to be strongly correlated. GIS-based KW-GIUH hydrological model was used to simulate the rainfall-runoff process in the Faria catchment. GIUH unit hydrographs were derived for the three sub-catchments of Faria namely Al-Badan, Al-Faria and Al-Malaqi. The KW-GIUH model is tested by comparing the simulated and observed hydrographs of Al-Badan sub-catchment for two rainstorms with good results. Sensitivity of the KW-GIUH model parameters was also investigated. The simulated runoff hydrographs proved that the GIS-based KW-GIUH model is applicable to semiarid regions and can be used to estimate the unit hydrographs in the West Bank catchments.
Impacts of Solid Waste Leachate on Soil and its Simulation to Ground Water at Nablus Area
(2006) Ramia Bassam Rida Tuffaha; Prof. Marwan Haddad
Palestine is not like other countries; it has its special situation because of the Israeli occupation. The closure and segregation of the main roads of the Palestinian, leading to complicate the solid waste management problem and resulted in the usage of alternative uncontrolled dumping sites which may be polluted the soil and the ground water. The vulnerability map of West Bank notice that many Palestinian cities especially Nablus city have high vulnerability. Neither short nor long term effect of MSW on soil and ground water in Palestine were not adequately evaluated and there is need to explore these effects and impacts. So the aims for this study are: evaluate the temporal and spatial variations of MSW leachate in landfills, evaluate the impacts of MSW leachate on soil, and may be simulate the impacts of MSW leachate on ground water. These aims achieved by establishing a model similar the real dump site, which consists of: * Leachate extraction columns * Leachate application to soil columns Laboratory analyses: * Leachate: the samples were analyzed for MSW leachate parameter which are: pH, EC, TSS, TDS, BOD5, Ca, Mg, Na, K, CO3, HCO3, alkalinity, hardness, Sulfate, Phosphate, Nitrate, Cl, and Iron. * Soil: the soil properties which we tested were classified under two different categories; physical and chemical properties. • Physical analyses are: pH, EC, sieve analysis, hydrometer test. • Chemical analyses are: Nutrition that consists of K, Nitrite, and Phosphorus. Salt source that consists of Na, Ca, Mg, Cl. The results of this study demonstrated that • TSS and TDS of MSW leachate were increased with MSW depth and decreasing with increasing water addition. • SAR values of the soil impacted by MSW leachate and in all columns tested increased slightly with depth but remained within the excellent range of soils suitable for agricultural development. • Removal of pollutants from MSW leachate by passage through a soil. • Statistical analysis of quality data collected showed that responsive functions of elements under consideration using multiple liner regression were possible and adequately acceptable and can be used to predict those elements as a function of MSW elevation and extent of precipitation.
An Assessment of The Nitrate And Chloride in The West Bank Groundwater Resources Using GIS
(2006) Fathi “Mohammad Amin” Yousef Anayah; Dr. Mohammad N. Almasri
Groundwater is the major source of water to the Palestinians. Efficient management of this resource requires a good understanding of its status. This understanding necessitates a characterization of the utilizable quantities and the corresponding qualities. The research focuses on the long-term degradation of water quality in the West Bank aquifers. A statistical analysis is carried out for the spatial and temporal distributions of the nitrate and chloride concentrations. GIS technology is utilized to facilitate the analysis and to efficiently account for the spatiality inherent in water resources parameters. Results confirm that the nitrate concentration across the West Bank aquifers has an increasing trend after the year 1985. As for chloride, the wells of the Jordan Valley have the highest concentrations. Overall, the recommendations call for an immediate intervention to solve the quality problems in the West Bank aquifers.
Evaluation of Solid Waste Management Practices in Nablus District
(2006) Abdul Salam F. Abu Zahra; Dr. Hafez Shaheen; Dr. Isam Al Khatib
This study is about the current solid waste management system in Nablus district and it covers the issue from three aspects. These are the management system, awareness of citizens, and solid waste composition. Around 97% of the population in Nablus district are located within areas that have a solid waste collection system. There are great variations in the management system between the city and villages, and among different villages. The collection systems in villages vary from one to another by equipment used. 25 localities are using compacting trucks while 22 are using tractor. The service provider is local council in 9 localities, a contractor in 27 localities, and the joint service council in 13 localities. Amount of solid waste fee ranges between 5 NIS to 15 NIS. The fee is collected separately in 11 localities, with electricity bill in 35 localities, with water bill in 3 localities, with both bills in 2 localities Ownership of the dumping sites also changes from locality to locality. Insufficiency of existing labor and equipment’s, improper disposal of waste in dumping sites, and low fee collection rates, are the main problems in the existing management system. There is no separation of hazardous and medical waste in all localities. These practices increase threat to citizens and the environment. There is a question about the necessity of unifying the solid waste management system in the district and in the Palestinian territories. This unification can be activated by initiative from the Ministry of Local Government, which is responsible for the local councils. There is a need for establishing sanitary disposal landfill. This should be done in parallel with closing the illegal dumping sites, and increasing the recycling and composting where it is feasible. The UNRWA has to take its full responsibility in refugee camps by disposing the generated solid waste. Currently, UNRWA is only collecting solid waste from the camps and disposing it in the nearest municipal containers. Different citizens’ attitudes toward solid waste management were revealed. Like, readiness of citizens to pay more for better collection system as their income increases, and the readiness of citizens living in separate houses to walk further to container than citizens living in apartments. There is a good indication about readiness of citizens to separate solid waste into five components for recycling purpose. On the other hand, there is a need to increase citizens awareness and care about solid waste management issues. The weight composition percentage of the solid waste in Nablus district is 63% organic material, 8% plastics, 3% metals, 3% glass, 10% paper and cardboard, 3% textiles 10% others and inert materials. It is clear that the high portion of solid waste is organic material, as expected in developing countries. The variation in the composition between village and city is minor. The organic content is a bit higher in villages while the paper content is higher in the city.
Assessment of Groundwater Vulnerability to Contamination in the West Bank, Palestine
(2006) Ne'mat Sadeq Abdel Rahman Qamhieh; Dr. Mohammad N. Almasri
This study assesses the groundwater pollution risk in the West Bank, Palestine. The combined use of DRASTIC model and geographic information system (GIS) was adopted for this purpose. Seven thematic maps of the DRASTIC model were developed in order to asses the vulnerability of groundwater to contamination and these include the depth to water table, recharge, aquifer media, soil media, topography, impact of vadose zone and hydraulic conductivity. The GIS technology was used to create an integrated vulnerability map of the West Bank to demarcate vulnerable zones. The result shows that 90% of the study area is at low risk of pollution while 10% is at moderate risk. This indicates that our groundwater resources are safe. The study demonstrated that GIS technology is an efficient environment for analyses and precise processing of spatial data. The thesis also included a comprehensive literature review regarding the different concepts and approaches for assessing groundwater vulnerability to contamination
Wastewater Characteristics and the Impact of its Use in Irrigation on Soil: The Case of Faria Catchment
(2007) Mohammad Subhi Mohammad Abu Baker; Dr. Mohammad N. Almasri
The use of untreated wastewater in irrigation is a common practice in several countries such as Palestine. Since decades, Palestinians in many locations used raw wastewater for irrigation due to several reasons that include: (i) shortage of freshwater resources that can cover there domestic and agricultural needs, (ii) the Israeli control of the available freshwater resources, (iii) the wastewater is of costless value and (iv) the absence of enforceable regulations. that restrict the use of wastewater in irrigation. Faria Catchment, Palestine is a representative example of the use of untreated wastewater in agriculture. The goal of this research is to investigate and analyze the quality-related parameters of the wastewater used in irrigation in Faria Catchment. These parameters include pH, EC, Cl-, NO3-N, TP, Mg+2, Ca+2, hardness, HCO3 -, Zn+2, K+, Cu+2, BOD5, Na+, SAR and turbidity. A second objective of this research is to compare these parameters with the international standards for using wastewater in irrigation. Thereafter, wastewater impacts on selected soil parameters such as pH, texture, accumulation of heavy metals in soil profiles, total carbon and total nitrogen were investigated. Results show that wastewater quality varies spatially and temporally. However, the values of these parameters are extremely above the permissible limits for using wastewater in irrigation. The doses of industrial wastewater result in extreme values in certain parameters such as SAR, EC and Cl-. The use of wastewater in irrigation shows clear effects on the top soil texture, total carbon and total nitrogen amounts and the accumulation of heavy metals in soil profile especially arsenic, cadmium and lead.
Impact of Pumping on Saltwater Intrusion in Gaza Coastal Aquifer, Palestine
(2007) Abdelhaleem Ibraheem Abdelhaleem Saleh; Dr. Mohammad N. Almasri
Gaza Coastal Aquifer (GCA) is the major source of water in Gaza Strip. Recent studies show noticeable deterioration in the water quality; where chloride, nitrate, sulfate, and fluoride concentrations are exceeding the maximum contaminant levels in most of the wells in Gaza Strip. Many agricultural wells are no longer used due to the high salinity. This high salinity is an indication of a phenomenon called saltwater intrusion which appears mainly in coastal aquifers due to the excessive pumping. This study is an attempt to find out the impact of pumping on the hydraulic head at the coastline of Gaza Strip. To do so, a groundwater flow model was developed for GCA using MODFLOW-2000 based on data from the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA). The model was calibrated based on head observations obtained from PWA and contour maps from literature. The calibrated model was used to simulate the effects of pumping, recharge, and injection on water table elevation. The results show that GCA is sensitive to the above mentioned parameters. Pumping has a great impact on water table elevations. A small decrease in total pumping (pumping from all of the wells) results in a noticeable decline in the areas that have water table elevations below mean sea level (MSL), which is in essence an indication of saltwater intrusion. Similar results were found when decreasing municipal and agricultural pumping. Two potential solutions were simulated; reduction in pumping and the injection of water through wells. These two options eliminated the problem of saltwater intrusion. However, a thorough future analysis should include an economic feasibility study.
Development of Sustainable Management Options for The West Bank Water Resources Using WEAP
(2007) Salam Ahmad Hussein Abu Hantash; Prof. Marwan Haddad; Dr. Anan Jayyousi
Palestinians are living under conditions of repressed demand as result of the limitations on supply and restrictions on new water resources development due to the Israeli imposed military control over Palestinian water resources. The West Bank lacks proper water infrastructure resulted in huge losses in the delivery of water or unaccounted for water. Moreover, there is a significant shortage of capital for new infrastructure. The prevailing system of uncoordinated water resources management in the West Bank cannot sustain the ever-increasing water needs. The study methodology consists of three components (1) data gathering and review (2) stakeholders field survey that determined key planning issues and questions needed and (3) WEAP model that aided to evaluate water resource management options for the West Bank. The results obtained showed that water demand varies significantly according to the assumed political situation, and underlined the importance role of water management aspects. Also the results revealed that an additional amounts more than 700 MCM is needed to satisfy water needs and development, otherwise the gap between demand and supply will grow dramatically if current supply conditions continued. The results confirmed that WEAP can be applied as a decision support system (DSS) tool for the water resource management in the West Bank.
Management of Nitrate Contamination of Groundwater Using Lumped Parameter Models
(2007) Lubna "Mohammad Nayef" Abdullah Hajhamad; Dr. Mohammad N. Almasri
Many regions all over the world depend entirely on groundwater resources for various uses. Nitrate contamination of ground water can cause methemoglobinemia. Evidence indicates that nitrate levels routinely exceeded the maximum contamination level (MCL) of 10 mg/L NO3-N in 90 percent of the water supply wells in the Gaza costal aquifer (GCA). In addition, elevated nitrate concentrations are encountered in Gaza city and Jabalia camp (GCJC). In order to simulate the occurrences of nitrate contamination in GCJC area, a single-cell model was developed. This model was employed to study different management options and to determine their efficiency in decreasing the nitrate contamination in the study area for a specified time horizon. Main findings of the research showed that there is an emerging need to manage the nitrate contamination problem in the groundwater of the study area and single management options are not effective when considered individually. As such, the combination of management options ought to be considered if nitrate concentration to drop below the MCL.
Integrated Water Resources Planning For A Water-Stressed Basin in Palestine
(2007) Aya R. Arafat; Prof. Marwan Haddad; Dr. Anan Jayyousi
In Palestine, failure to account for long-term scenarios of water availability is a concern given the potential for severe drought and the continuing misallocation of water rights and water distributions as well as the lack of policies to support integrated water resources management. Analysis to assess how to design future water resources, facilities, and management scenarios based on future measures and management practices as well as rainfall patterns for Palestine are investigated. This research focuses on building an IWRM model for Al Far'a catchment using WEAP program. After collecting all the required data and studying the existing situation, different scenarios are suggested here. Population growth was taken in to account in this work. The burgeoning population growth in Palestine is crucial to integrated water resources planning and management and is expected to increase the stresses on the already scarce water resources. The last step was calibrating the model to get the best fit model and better accuracy. Projection of these data into the future was approximated through many strenuous built-in relationships in WEAP model to assess the future water states. Thus, annual, and decadal future water availability is projected, characterized, and examined to support efficient and effective scenarios to sustain water resources management. This analysis of scenarios assessment and best management practices evaluation is performed for Al-Far'a watershed. Wherein, integrated water resource planning models that can simultaneously aggregate and process hydrologic and management elements are of paramount importance to aid decision planners evaluate the tradeoffs and priorities under different hydrologic realities and management objectives. The utility of the analysis to highlight the need for alternative water supplies; to quantify groundwater recharge; to evaluate water conservation and fair water allocation policies; and to provide guidelines for future nontraditional water supply projects are also presented and discussed.
Optimal Management of Groundwater Pumping The Case of the Eocene Aquifer, Palestine
(2007) Rana Amin Sulaiman Kharmah; Dr. Mohammad N. Almasri
The Eocene aquifer is an important source of water supply to local communities in Jenin district and parts of Nablus district. The aquifer is heavily utilized for agricultural activities in specific. It is believed that there is a potential for additional utilization of the aquifer through pumping. In order to verify this, a simulation/optimization model was developed in this study using the U. S. Geological Survery’s MODFLOW and GWM. The groundwater model was constructed and calibrated under steady-state conditions. Based on the calibrated steady-state groundwater flow model, the annual discharge from the Eocene aquifer outside the West Bank is about 55 million cubic meters. This simulation model was then utilized in the development of the GWM model (optimization) to find out the optimal pumping rates that the aquifer can sustain without depleting the aquifer. The outcome from the GWM model shows that 23 mcm can be safely pumped out from the Eocene aquifer through the existing wells. This is achieved under the assumption that the Israeli wells tapping the aquifer pumps 11.7 mcm and that the drop in the saturated thickness does not exceed 50%. Results are manifested and analyzed and the conclusions and recommendation are provided.
Assessment of Household Hazardous Waste Management: A Comparative Study Between Nablus City and its Refugee Camps
(2008) Ehab A. Mayyaleh; Dr. Amer M. El-Hamouz; Dr. Issam A. Al-Khatib
This thesis is about the “Assessment of Household Hazardous Waste Management: A comparative Study Between Nablus City and its Refugee Camps” and aims studying household hazardous waste (HHW) to determine the type and the quantity of hazardous materials most commonly used at homes, the level of awareness of household heads concerning the disposal of these substances, the extent of hazardous substance-related accidents and injuries occurring at homes. It also suggests an integrated management plan for HHW taking into consideration different engineering measures for managing the HHW from the point of generation to final disposal. Literature was collected and analyzed to identify the extent of the problem and its related issues. The questionnaire was distributed among 1300 households and a solid waste generation analysis was carried out during a 15 working days period with sorting 150 samples of 23 tons of municipality solid waste at Nablus solid waste transfer station. HHW concentrations of 2.89% and 1.88% were detected in the Nablus city and its refugee camps respectively in proportion to the family income. Findings indicate that home products and personal care products most commonly consumed hazardous substances at homes and 17.9% of the study households have injuries, poisons and burns from accidents resulted from the use of these substances. The study also found that the level of households' awareness of hazardous substances is generally low and is in need of continuous improvement. The results lead to many recommendations: a proposed management system for HHW management is needed that would help the Palestinian health to enhance and develop health and environmental services. A management system, including new approach for storage, collection, separation, transportation, treatment and disposal of HHW was proposed . This system will deal with at least 1600 tons/year of HHW in Nablus city and its refugee camps.
GIS-Based Modeling of Groundwater Recharge for The West Bank
(2008) Adel ”Mohammad Said” Mahmoud Juaidi; Dr. Mohammad N. Almasri
Groundwater is the major source of water for the Palestinians. Efficient management of this resource requires a good understanding of its status. This understanding necessitates a characterization of the utilizable quantities and the corresponding qualities. This thesis focuses on the quantification of groundwater recharge for the entire West Bank and for each aquifer using the Soil Moisture Deficit (SMD) method. The SMD method is the most applicable method for recharge estimation under arid and semi-arid conditions. ModelBuilder of GIS was utilized to facilitate the recharge quantification and to efficiently account for the spatiality inherent in recharge. Results confirm that the highest recharge occurs in the North-West of the West Bank and the lowest in the South-East. The long term average recharge for the entire West Bank was calculated based on the available historical records that start from 1975 to 1997. The results of the recharge for the entire West Bank equals 610 mcm. And the total annual recharge for the entire West Bank is 852 mcm for the year 2004. Overall, the recommendations call for an immediate intervention to study scenario analysis such as climatic change and its impact is required to predict the recharge behavior in the future to get effective groundwater modeling and management.

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