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The effects of aquifer and well parameters on Capture Zone and Discharge Zone in alluvial unconfined aquifers
Amin Ahmadi, Manouchehr Chitsazan , Seyed Yahya Mirzaee , Arash Nadri ,
Volume 16, Issue 2 (Summer 2022 2022)
Abstract
In order to protect water wells, it is necessary to analyze the zones of influence, capture, recharge and discharge zones. Despite much research, this issue still needs further discussion. The purpose of this research is to analyze the capture and discharge zones of water wells in alluvial unconfined aquifers. For this purpose, a hypothetical aquifer was simulated using the Modflow and Modpath models. The accuracy of the numerical model outputs was confirmed by comparison with the analytical calculations, and then the effect of the independent parameters of the well and the aquifer was investigated. This research showed that, contrary to popular belief, changes in hydraulic conductivity, specific yield, bedrock dip, initial thickness, porosity, and heterogeneity do not cause changes in the surface extent of the well's capture zone in the unconfined aquifer.This research has shown that changes in surface recharge, discharge and well location cause many changes in the surface extent of the well capture zone in unconfined alluvial aquifers. Investigation of the effect of pumping time in a single well system showed that the size of the capture zone initially increases, but after a short period, of time, despite the continued expansion of the drawdown cone, its position stabilises. It was found that the change in all the above parameters causes a change in the size of the well's discharge zone. The stability of the above-mentioned areas is very important for the determination of zones for the protection of the quantity and quality of water wells! It has been found that the relative stability of the water level in the aquifer at an appropriate level is necessary, and this requires the management of the aquifer and the allocation of a limited percentage of the aquifer recharge to discharge through wells.
 

The effect of management strategies of water resources systems on drought indicators in Jarreh Dam
Mahdi Beshavard, Arash Adib, Seyed Mohammad Ashrafi,
Volume 16, Issue 3 (Autumn 2022)
Abstract
Droughts caused by precipitation deficits and increasing water consumption are intensifying worldwide, with negative economic and environmental consequences. The negative impacts can be mitigated by using optimized reservoir operation patterns and implementing rationing rules during droughts. These approaches involve meeting only a portion of total demand, allowing for water storage and accepting a small current deficit to mitigate severe future shortages. This research presents a case study to determine the operational command curves for Jareh Dam and to investigate the impact of reservoir operation under two management policies, Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and rationing, on downstream drought indices, an aspect not previously studied. To achieve this, an optimization model coupled with a genetic algorithm was linked to a simulation model to determine the optimal values of command curves and rationing coefficients based on historical inflow data to the reservoir. The performance of the model was evaluated in the Allah River water resources system. In addition, the drought severity index (SDI), SOP performance, and rationing model performance during the base period were evaluated by calculating the objective function value or modified shortage index (MSI) and the resilience, vulnerability, and reversibility indices. The results showed that under the rationing model during the study period, the MSI value improved by 41% compared to the SOP method. In addition, the implementation of the rationing policy significantly improved the vulnerability of the system compared to the SOP method, reducing it from 64% to 26%.

Investigating the engineering hydrogeomorphological characteristics of the Gian catchment and river of Nahavand in the Hamadan province
Dr. Davood Fereidooni, Dr. Sajeddin Mousavi, Dr. Esmaeil Najafi, Dr. Gholam Reza Khanlari,
Volume 16, Issue 4 (Winter 2022)
Abstract
Assessing and understanding the hydromorphological characteristics are necessary to understand the behavior of a river and its active processes. This is useful for understanding the erosion and sedimentation regime and changing the river path, for making correct engineering and human activities in the river's catchment area. The Gian River, with an average annual discharge of 2.3 m3/s, is one of the tributaries of the Gamasiab River in the Hamedan province. From a geological and hydrogeomorphological point of view, the Gian is a small river. It is fully compatible with the geological structures of the region. The calculation of the sinusoidal coefficient has shown that this river is a meandering river whose wavelength, the amplitude of the oscillation and the width of the meander belt are smaller in the mountainous area than in the plain area The gradient of the river bed is relatively low and it is classified as an erosion and sedimentation river in its different sections. The Gian River has a rocky bed in the mountainous part and an alluvial bed in the plain. The Gian River has a small catchment area, and, according to theGravelius' coefficient, its shape is almost elongated. The catchment elevation of the Gian River is between 1455 and 2700 with a weighted average of 1715.20 m.a.s.l. and its area decreases with the increase in the elevation. The concentration time of the catchment is 4.204 hours. The application of the data and results of the research can be very effective in land use planning, engineering and executive applications to predict river changes and protect engineering structures such as roads, bridges, coastal structures and railways, protect agricultural lands in the region and develop tourism.
 

Investigating the groundwater quality of Evan Plain aquifer in Khuzestan province with emphasis on nitrate concentration
Dr Seyed Yahya Mirzaee, Phd Student Zahra Chaghazardi, Dr Manouchehr Chitsazan, Dr Farshad Alijani,
Volume 17, Issue 1 (Spring 2023 2023)
Abstract
The Evan plain is located in the Khuzestan province in the southwest of Andimshek city. Groundwater is one of the available water resources for irrigation, drinking, and industry in this region. Due to the importance of examining the ground water quality of the Evan plain, hydrochemical parameters and nitrate pollution have been evaluated. Nitrate is one of the most widespread pollutants of ground water in the world. However, few studies have been conducted on this pollutant in the Evan plain. Therefore, to assess the quality of ground water in this area with emphasis on nitrate pollution, sampling was carried out in September of the water year (1400-1401) from 22 wells in this plain. During the sampling, field parameters (temperature, pH, EC), concentrations of major elements (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, Cl-, SO42-, HCO32-, CO32-), and nitrate were measured. The results of the factor analysis demonstrated three influencing factors, namely EC, Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, Cl-, SO42-  (as the first factor), pH and Hco32- (as the second factor), and NO3- (as the third factor), with a total of 89.72% having the most changes in the Evan plain aquifer. The dominant water type in the Evan plain is sulfate-calcite. Hierarchical clustering analysis shows the three clusters for the regionalization of nitrate data. In general, the changes in nitrate ion concentration in the groundwater of the Evan plain are affected by the size of the soil particles, the depth of the groundwater, and the utilization of chemical fertilizers in the area.
 

Numerical investigation of groundwater fluctuations affected by climate changes in Khorramabad River watershed
Dr Seyed Yahya Mirzaee, Phd Student Roghayeh Amiri, Dr Manouchehr Chitsazan,
Volume 17, Issue 4 (Winter 2023)
Abstract
This study investigates the effects of climate change on the Khorramabad Central Plain aquifer. The climatic variables of temperature and precipitation were studied and downscale using GCM and LARS-WG models for a 45-year base period (October 1971 to September 2015). Temperature and precipitation values were then projected for a 30-year period (October 2024 to September 2054) under the climate scenarios SSP1.2.6, SSP2.4.5 and SSP5.8.5. The rainfall runoff simulation was carried out in the Khorramabad basin using the IHACRES model. The groundwater flow in the central plain of Khorramabad was calibrated using MODFLOW code for a period of 120 months (October 2010 to September 2020). This model was validated for a period of 36 months (October 2020 to September 2023). According to the results, the values of precipitation in the future period compared to the base period will decrease by 42.6, 47 and 61.9 mm in the scenarios SSP1.2.6, SSP2.4.5 and SSP5.8.5 respectively. The annual mean of minimum and maximum temperatures increases in all three scenarios. After calibration of the IHACRES model, NSE=0.74, RMSE=1.46 and R2=0.64 were obtained. According to the results, the predicted discharge of the Khorramabad River in the future period will increase by 2.38 m3.sec in the SSP1.2.6 scenario and decrease by 0.42 and 0.94 m3.sec in the SSP2.4.5 and SSP5.8.5 scenarios, respectively, compared to the base period. The average 30-year aquifer balance under the SSP1.2.6, SSP2.4.5 and SSP5.8.5 scenarios was 27494.5, -12335.3 and -41823.3 m3, respectively. The groundwater level of the Khorramabad Central Plain aquifer will decrease in the future period.
 

Hydrogeological and hydrogeochemical investigation of Vorskharan karsitic spring in Firoozkooh county
Hossein Ebrahimi, Farzad Akbari, Soroor Mazrae Asl, Babak Biglari,
Volume 17, Issue 4 (Winter 2023)
Abstract
The Vorskharan karst spring with a catchment area of 50 square kilometers and an average discharge of about 1.35 m2/s is one of the most important springs in the city of Firouzkouh. In order to asses the hydrogeological and hydrogeochemical charachteristics of the spring, the physical and chemical properties of the spring water were measured and analyzed for several months. The results showed that the recession curve of the spring has a slope and the value of its coefficient is about 0.003. The low coefficienof the discharge variation t, electrical conductivity and major ions, as well as the single slope of the spring’s recession curve , are mainly due to the elongated shape of the aquifer and the long-term presence of snow in the catchment basin of the spring. Considering the relatively high water level of the spring and the existence of a sinkhole and a polje in the spring’s catchment area, as well as the coefficient of small changes in the physical and chemical parameters of the spring, it can be said that the dominant flow system in the aquifer which recharges Vorskharan spring,is  conduit-diffusive. According to the field studies and the evaluation of the percentage of soil cover, the development of dissolved spaces and other morphological effects of karst, the percentage of annual recharge in the catchment area was estimated  at 56%. With the amount of precipitation, the percentage of annual recharge, the annual recharge volume of the preliminary water catchment basin equal to 19.2 MCM and the annual discharge volume of the spring through the annual hydrograph of the spring was calculated to be equal to 20.1 MCM. It was also observed that the type of water is Ca-HCO3, and the lithology of the aquifer is calcareous and dolomite.

Assessment of the contamination potential in the Northern Dezful-Andimeshk aquifer with emphasis on intrinsic and specific vulnerability
Dr Sepideh Shakour, Dr Manouchehr Chitsazan, Dr Seyed Yahya Mirzaee,
Volume 18, Issue 2 (Summer 2024)
Abstract
One of the appropriate ways to prevent groundwater pollution is to identify vulnerable aquifer areas. The Dezful-Andimeshk Plain has two landfills that do not comply with the necessary standards for waste disposal and a river that recharges the aquifer, which can be potential pollutants for the aquifer. Therefore, evaluating the pollution potential of this aquifer is considered a necessity. To achieve this goal, for the first time in this area, the assessment of the aquifer pollution potential was carried out based on the intrinsic vulnerability (DRASTIC) and specific vulnerability (DLR), and finally, the potential contamination (PC) in the region was evaluated.. Based on the results, the value of the inherent vulnerability index ranges from 106 to 162 and has two vulnerability classes: moderate and high. The high vulnerability is related to the western margin of the plain and near the outlet of the plain, as well as in the middle of the plain with a northeast-southwest trend. The low vulnerability is associated with the northern and southern parts of the region. The specific vulnerability index ranges from 25 to 75, which, based on expert opinion, is classified into two classes: low and medium vulnerability. The highest intrinsic vulnerability is in the middle of the plain and around the Dez River. According to the results, the aquifer's PC ranges from 130 to 207 due to specific and intrinsic vulnerabilities. It is classified into three classes: medium, high, and very high, mainly affected by the river, land use, soil, and hydraulic conductivity.

Identification of potential areas for the construction of underground dams in the country
Dr Amir Saberinasr, Dr Majid Dashti Barmaki,
Volume 18, Issue 2 (Summer 2024)
Abstract
One of the strategies for water storage in arid and semi-arid areas such as Iran is the construction of underground dams; however, identifying suitable sites for the construction of these structures remains a major challenge. The aim of this paper is to identify the optimal locations for the construction of underground dams using a geographic information system and multi-criteria decision making techniques. Firstly, thematic maps were prepared in ArcGIS environment including geological condition, land use, landslide potential, topography, water stress, aquifer area and distance from dam, village, qanat, stream, fault, airport and road. Hierarchical analysis and fuzzy logic methods were used to weight the prepared maps. By removing unsuitable and restricted areas for the construction of underground dams, a final potential map for this structure was prepared. The results show that the provinces of Razavi and South Khorasan, Kerman, Yazd, Sistan and Baluchistan, Hamedan, Qazvin, Zanjan, Markazi and Qom have greater potential for the construction of underground dams than other provinces in the country. Finally, to validate the results, a comparison was made between the results presented in this study and several successful underground dam projects in the country, showing a relatively close match between the potential map and the implemented structures.

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