Using Numerical Modeling to Evaluate the Potential of Groundwater Pollution Resulting from Artificial Recharge with Treated Wastewater

Amiri, Vahab; Sohrabi, Nassim

doi:10.22111/jneh.2025.50877.2097

Using Numerical Modeling to Evaluate the Potential of Groundwater Pollution Resulting from Artificial Recharge with Treated Wastewater

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

Vahab Amiri ¹
Nassim Sohrabi ²

¹ Associate Professor of Hydrogeology, Department of Geology, Yazd University, Iran

² PhD in Hydrogeology, Yazd Regional Water Authority, Iran

10.22111/jneh.2025.50877.2097

Abstract

Drought, overexploitation of groundwater resources, and a lack of proper management of water resources have caused irreparable damage to groundwater resources. Therefore, appropriate management decisions to compensate for the reduction in groundwater storage are inevitable. In recent years, the use of treated wastewater for the artificial recharge of aquifers has been considered. In this study, the simulation of groundwater resources of the Damaneh-Daran aquifer using the MODFLOW model and the modeling of artificial recharge using treated wastewater using the MT3DMS and MODPATH tools were considered. Several locations with different single-, dual-, and pond scenarios for implementing artificial recharge were evaluated based on the lowest cost, the closest distance to the treatment plant, the farthest distance from residential areas and drinking and agricultural wells, and the distance from the input of quality streams recharging the aquifer in the northern and northwestern parts of the region. The results of the simulation of the pollution spread pattern using the MODPATH model show that regardless of the injection site, the treated wastewater flow can contaminate significant parts of the water resources in its path because of the topographic conditions of the area, general groundwater flow path, and hydraulic had caused by artificial recharge at the injection sites. The results of the artificial recharge model using the single- and dual-well models show that the pollutant movement is towards the southwest of the aquifer. In addition, up to 15 years after the start of the leak, the maximum pollutant movement reached approximately 1850 m from the injection site. The results of the MT3DMS model also show that after 500, 5000, 10000, and 14000 days from the start of the leak, 5, 15, 20, and 26 production wells were affected by the pollution plume, respectively.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Environmental Contamination

References

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