https://doi.org/10.7343/as-2024-742
Hydraulic characterization of Pwales aquifer in Malta Island preparatory for planning managed aquifer recharge (MAR) pilot plant
Submitted: 15 December 2023
Accepted: 20 March 2024
Published: 28 March 2024
Accepted: 20 March 2024
Abstract Views: 658
PDF: 288
Publisher's note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
Authors
Whitin the aim to reduce the water demand by increasing water use efficiency and providing alternative water resources, and mainly to meet the demand of good quality irrigation water for agriculture, the Energy and Water Agency of Malta is planning to develop a Managed Aquifer Recharge pilot plant in Pwales Valley to improve the quantitative and qualitative status of the groundwater body. For this reason a detailed hydraulic characterization of the valley was carried out. Specifically, hydraulic properties of the rocks that constitute strata atop of the Pwales aquifer were determined by means of both laboratory measurements on samples and field test carried out in the studied area. The water retention and hydraulic conductivity functions, which relate the matric potential, ψ, and hydraulic conductivity, K, to the water content, θ, respectively, were measured using three experimental methods because each of them allows to obtain data points in a specific wet range. The water retention and hydraulic conductivity functions were measured on samples extracted from blocks of Upper Coralline Limestone formation, that hosts the aquifer, collected in three different quarries: Ghian Tuffieha, Mellieha and San Martin areas. The measured water retention and hydraulic conductivity data were fitted with LABROS SoilView Analysis software that allows to describe the functions and obtain the parameters which are crucial for modelling the water flow and transport processes in the critical zone. In addition, large ring infiltrometer test was carried out to determine the field saturated hydraulic conductivity, Kfs, and the average infiltration rate. Knowledge of the hydraulic characteristics of the Upper Coralline Limestone, completely missing in the scientific literature, allows developing a local groundwater-flow numerical model in order to better describe and understand how the water flows from the soil to the groundwater of the valley and visualize different environmental scenarios such as the potential effects of Managed Aquifer Recharge plant in the Pwales Coastal Groundwater Body.
Andraski, B. J., & Scanlon, B. R. (2002). Thermocouple Psychrometry. In Physical Methods of Soil Analysis 4 (pp. 609-615). SSSA BOOK SERIES:5
Campbell, G. S., Smith, D. M., & Teare, B. L. (2007). Application of a dew point method to obtain the soil water characteristic. In Experimental unsaturated soil mechanics (pp. 71– 77).
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-69873-6_7
Caputo, M. C., De Carlo, L., & Masciale, R. (2012). Hydrogeophysical approach to measure hydraulic parameters on unsaturated rocks. Fresenius Environmental Bulettin, 21, 3077-3082.
Caputo, M. C., De Carlo, L., Masciopinto, C., & Nimmo, J. R. (2010). Measurement of field-saturated hydraulic conductivity on fractured rock outcrops near Altamura (Southern Italy) with an adjustable large ring infiltrometer. Environmental Earth Sciences, 60, 583-590. https://doi 10.1007/s12665-009-0198-y
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-009-0198-y
Caputo, M. C., De Carlo, L., & Turturro, A. C. (2022). HYPROP-FIT to model rock water retention curves estimated by different methods. Water, 14, 3443. https:// doi.org/10.3390/w14213443
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/w14213443
Caputo, M. C., & Nimmo, J. R. (2005). Quasi-steady centrifuge method of unsaturated hydraulic properties. Water Resources Research, 41, 1-5. https://doi: 10.1029/2005WR003957
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2005WR003957
Elrick, D. E, Reynolds, W. D., & Tan, K. A. (1989). Hydraulic conductivity measurements in the unsaturated zone using improved well analyses. Ground Water Monitoring Review, 9, 184-193.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-6592.1989.tb01162.x
Etikala, B., Adimalla, N., Madhav, S., Somagouni, S. G., & Keshava Kiran Kumar, P. L. (2021). Salinity problems in groundwater and management strategies in arid and semi‐arid regions. Groundwater Geochemistry: Pollution and Remediation Methods, 42–56. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119709732.ch3
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119709732.ch3
Heaton, H. E., Stuart, M. E., Sapiano, M., & Sultana, M. M. (2012). An isotope study of the sources of nitrate in Malta’s groundwater. Journal of Hydrology 414-415, 244-254.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2011.10.037
House, M. R., Dunham, K. C., Wigglesworth, J. C. (1961). Geology and structure of the Maltese isalnds. In Malta: Background for Development (pp. 24-33). Durham
Khalil, K., Khan, Q., & Mohamed, M. (2022). Selection criteria of best sites for aquifer storage and recovery in the Eastern District of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Groundwater for Sustainable Development, 100771. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsd.2022.100771
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsd.2022.100771
Klute, A., & Dirksen, C. (1986). Hydraulic conductivity and diffusivity: laboratory methods. In Methods of Soil Analysis 1, edited by A. Klute, Agronomy 9 (pp. 687–732).
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2136/sssabookser5.1.2ed.c28
Lotti, F., Borsi, I., Guastaldi, E., Barbagli, A., Basile, P., Favaro, L., Mallia, A., Xuereb, R., Schembri, M., Mamo, J. A., Demichele, F., & Sapiano, M. (2021). NECoM (Numerically Enhanced COnceptual Modelling) of two small Maltese aquifers: Mizieb and Pwales. Acque sotterranee – Italian Journal of Groundwater – AS36-496, 7-21. https://doi 10.7343/as-2021-496
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7343/as-2021-496
Magri, O. (2006). A geological and geomorfological review of the Meltese islands with special reference to the coastal zone. Territoris, 6, 7-26.
Newbery, J. (1963). The perched water table in the Upper Limestone Aquifer of Malta. Journal of the Institution of Water Engineers, 22, 551-570.
Nimmo, J. R., Schmidt, K. S., Perkins, K. S., & Stock J. D. (2009). Rapid measurement of field-saturated hydraulic conductivity for areal characterization. Vadose Zone Journal, 8, 142-149.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2136/vzj2007.0159
Pertassek, T., Peters, A., & Durner, W. (2015). HYPROP-FIT Software User’s Manual, V.3.0; UMS GmbH: München, Germany; 66 pp.
Polemio, M., & Zuffianò, L. E. (2020). Review of utilization management of groundwater at risk of salinization. Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, 146(9), 03120002, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)wr.1943-5452.0001278
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)WR.1943-5452.0001278
Polemio, M., Sapiano, M., Santaloia, F., Basso, A., Dragone, V., De Giorgio, G., Limoni, P., Zuffianò, L. E., John, M., & Schembri, M. (2019). A hydrogeological study to support the optimized management of the main sea level aquifer of the island of Malta. Rendiconti Online della Società Geologica Italiana, 47, 85-89,
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3301/ROL.2019.16
Stackman, W. P., Valk, G. A., & van der Harst, G. G. (1969). Determination of soil moisture retention curves I. ICW Wageningen.
Stefan, C., & Ansems, N. (2018). Web-based global inventory of managed aquifer recharge applications. Sustainable Water Resources Management, 4(2), 153–162. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40899-017-0212-6
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40899-017-0212-6
Tiwari, S., Yadav, B. K., & Polemio, M. (2022). Performance evaluation of Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) system in saline groundwater regions: impact of operational factors and well design. Journal of Hydrologic Engineering, 27(12), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)he.1943-5584.0002222
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)HE.1943-5584.0002222
Turturro, A. C., Caputo, M. C., Perkims, K. S., & Nimmo, R. J. (2020). Does the Darcy-Buckingham law apply to flow through unsaturated porous rock? Water, 12, 2668. https://doi:10.3390/w12102668
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/w12102668
Turturro, A. C., Caputo, M. C., & Gerke, H. H. (2021). Mercury intrusion porosimetry and centrifuge methods for extended-range retention curves of soil and porous rock samples. Vadose Zone Journal, 21, e20176, 1-11. https://doi: 10.1002/vzj2.20176
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/vzj2.20176
United Nations (2022). The United Nations World Water Development Report 2022. Groundwater: Making the invisible visible. In UNESCO, Paris. https://doi.org/10.1111/1740-9713.01654
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1740-9713.01654
Van Genuchten, M. T. (1980). A Closed-form Equation for Predicting the Hydraulic Conductivity of Unsaturated Soils. Soil Science Society of American Journal, 44, 892–898. https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj1980.03615995004400050002x
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj1980.03615995004400050002x
Zhang, H., Xu, Y., & Kanyerere, T. (2020). A review of the managed aquifer recharge: Historical development, current situation and perspectives. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, 118-119, 102887. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pce.2020.102887
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pce.2020.102887
Zuurbier, K. G., Zaadnoordijk, W. J., & Stuyfzand, P. J. (2014). How multiple partially penetrating wells improve the freshwater recovery of coastal aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) systems: A field and modeling study. Journal of Hydrology, 509, 430-441. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2013.11.057
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2013.11.057
How to Cite
Caputo, M. C., De Carlo, L., Turturro, A. C., Sapiano, M., Mamo, J., Balzan, O., … Schembri, M. (2024). Hydraulic characterization of Pwales aquifer in Malta Island preparatory for planning managed aquifer recharge (MAR) pilot plant. Acque Sotterranee - Italian Journal of Groundwater, 13(1), 17–26. https://doi.org/10.7343/as-2024-742
Copyright (c) 2024 the Author(s)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
PAGEPress has chosen to apply the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0) to all manuscripts to be published.
Similar Articles
- Andrea Chahoud, Luca Gelati, Addolorata Palumbo, Giuseppe Patrizi, Immacolata Pellegrino, Giacomo Zaccanti, Groundwater flow model management and case studies in Emilia-Romagna (Italy) , Acque Sotterranee - Italian Journal of Groundwater: Vol. 2 No. 1 (2013)
- Viacheslav Shestopalov, Yurii Rudenko, Iryna Koliabina, Borys Stetsenko , Kostiantyn Yaroshenko, Groundwater for urban water supply in Ukraine: a case study of Mykolaiv (Military challenges and lessons for the future) , Acque Sotterranee - Italian Journal of Groundwater: Vol. 13 No. 3 (2024)
- Luca Zini, Chiara Calligaris, Francesco Treu, Enrico Zavagno, Daniela Iervolino, Federica Lippi, Groundwater sustainability in the Friuli Plain , Acque Sotterranee - Italian Journal of Groundwater: Vol. 12 No. 3 (2023)
- Giovanni Pietro Beretta, Monica Avanzini, Tomaso Marangoni, Marino Burini, Giacomo Schirò, Jacopo Terrenghi, Gaetano Vacca, Groundwater modeling of the withdrawal sustainability of Cannara artesian aquifer (Umbria, Italy) , Acque Sotterranee - Italian Journal of Groundwater: Vol. 7 No. 3 (2018)
- Chiara Sbarbati, Maurizio Gorla, Alessandro Lacchini, Agata Cristaldi, Davide Lo Monaco, Valentina Marinelli, Chiara Righetti, Roberto Simonetti, Marco Petitta , Ramon Aravena, Multi-isotopic regional-scale screening on drinking groundwater in Lombardy Region (Italy) , Acque Sotterranee - Italian Journal of Groundwater: Vol. 10 No. 1 (2021)
- Pamela Teoli, Roberto Mazza, Alessandro Cappelli, Lepini Mountains Carbonatic Ridge: try of springs recharge areas verification and water exchange quantification with Pontina Plain by use of a numerical model (Central Italy) , Acque Sotterranee - Italian Journal of Groundwater: Vol. 3 No. 1 (2014)
- Daniel Feinstein, Since "Groundwater and Surface Water-A Single Resource": some U.S. Geological Survey advances in modeling groundwater/surface-water interactions , Acque Sotterranee - Italian Journal of Groundwater: Vol. 1 No. 1 (2012)
- Andreas Kallioras, M. Piepenbrink, A. Khan, M. Reshid, R. Rausch, P. Dietrich, C. Schuth, Investigation of isotopic signals in the unsaturated zone with the use of direct push technology and azaeotropic distillation , Acque Sotterranee - Italian Journal of Groundwater: Vol. 1 No. 2 (2012)
- Daniele Farina, Paolo Cavitolo, Climate and land use changes as origin of the Water Cycle variations and sediment transport in Pesaro Urbino Province, Central and Eastern Italy , Acque Sotterranee - Italian Journal of Groundwater: Vol. 5 No. 3 (2016)
- Stefano Bernardinetti, Stefano Maraio, Pier Paolo Gennaro Bruno, Valentina Cicala, Serena Minucci, Miriana Giannuzzi, Marilena Trotta, Francesco Curedda, Simone Febo, Matteo Vacca, Enrico Guastaldi, Tommaso Colonna, Filippo Bonciani, Emanuele Tufarolo, Fabio Brogna, Andrea Zirulia, Omar Milighetti, Potential shallow aquifers characterization through an integrated geophysical method: multivariate approach by means of k-means algorithms , Acque Sotterranee - Italian Journal of Groundwater: Vol. 6 No. 2 (2017)
<< < 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 > >>
You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.
