HYDROGEOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF QUSHTAPA AND SHAMAMIK AREA IN ERBIL BASIN, USING PUMPING TEST DATA

Authors

  • Seber M. M. Ameen General Directorate of Divan, Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources, Kurdistan Region, Erbil, Iraq
  • Rebwar N. Dara Department of Earth Sciences and Petroleum, College of Science, Salahaddin University - Erbil, Erbil, Iraq

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36103/cjrsy517

Keywords:

AQTESOLV, aquifer, Hydraulic conductivity, saturated thickness, , single well test

Abstract

This study investigates the hydrogeological parameters through detailed pumping test analysis in the Qushtapa and Shamamik areas within the Erbil Basin. This study aims to assess key aquifer parameters, including hydraulic conductivity, transmissivity, and storage coefficient, which are substantial for sustainable groundwater management. Data from 10 groundwater pumping tests were analyzed using established analytical approaches, such as the Cooper-Jacob straight-line method, and the Theis recovery method using AQTESOLV and the Microsoft Excel program to derive hydrogeological parameters of the aquifer. The results show significant spatial variability in aquifer properties impacted by lithological variability and the rate of groundwater recharge. The average hydraulic conductivity ranges between 0.0245 mday-1 and 0.191 mday-1. The average Transmissivity value ranges from 8.62 m2day-1 to 47.725 m2day-1. The Storage Coefficient ranges between 0.071 and 0.323. Based on the Krasny (1993) classification for Transmissivity, the studied area is classified as an area with a Low-Intermediate class of Transmissivity. Pumping tests play a crucial role in ensuring long-term water security and informing sustainable development policies in the study area.

Received: 12/3/2025

Accepted: 2/7/2025

Published: 2026/3/31

References

1. Al-Ansari, N., Ali, A., & Knutsson, S. (2014). Present conditions and future challenges of water resources problems in Iraq. Journal of Water Resource and Protection, 6(12), 1066-1098.http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/jwarp.2014.612102.

2. Al-Sudani, H. I. Z. (2019). Groundwater system of Dibdibba sandstone aquifer in south of Iraq. Applied Water Science, 9(4), 72. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13201-019-0952-6.

3. Alley, W. M., Healy, R. W., LaBaugh, J. W., & Reilly, T. E. (2002). Flow and storage in groundwater systems. science, 296(5575), 1985-1990. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1067123.

4. Arshad, A., Mirchi, A., Vilcaez, J., Akbar, M. U., & Madani, K. (2024). Reconstructing high-resolution groundwater level data using a hybrid random forest model to quantify distributed groundwater changes in the Indus Basin. Journal of Hydrology, 628, 130535. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2023.130535.

5. Calvache, M. L., Sánchez-Úbeda, J. P., Duque, C., López-Chicano, M., & De la Torre, B. (2016). Evaluation of analytical methods to study aquifer properties with pumping tests in coastal aquifers with numerical modelling (Motril-Salobreña aquifer). Water Resources Management, 30(2), 559-575. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-015-1177-6.

6. CONAMA, D. (2006). Estudio de la variabilidad climática en Chile para el siglo XXI. Santiago: Departamento de Geofísica. Universidad de Chile.

7. Cooper Jr, H. H., & Jacob, C. E. (1946). A generalized graphical method for evaluating formation constants and summarizing well‐field history. Eos, Transactions American Geophysical Union, 27(4), 526-534. https://doi.org/10.1029/TR027i004p00526.

8. Dizayee, R. H. (2014). Groundwater Degradation and Sustainability of the Erbil Basin, Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq. Master, Texas Christian University.

9. Glenn, M. D. (2007). AQTESOLV (Version 4.5). HydroSOLVE, Inc. www.aqtesolv.com.

10. Hamad, R. (2022). Erbil Basin Groundwater Recharge Potential Zone Determination Using Fuzzy-Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). https://doi.org/10.25130/tjas.22.3.20

11. Heath, R. C. (1998). Basic ground-water hydrology (Vol. 2220). US Department of the Interior, US Geological Survey. https://pubs.usgs.gov/wsp/2220/report.pdf.

12. Jalut, Q. H. (2020). Modelling of groundwater flow of baquba district area, diyala governorate, North-East, Iraq. https://doi.org/10.24237/djes.2020.13302

13. Jasim, S. M., & Jalut, Q. H. (2020). Estimation of aquifer hydraulic parameters from pumping test data analysis: a case study of baquba shallow unconfined aquifer. Diyala Journal of Engineering Sciences, 22-33. https://doi.org/10.24237/djes.2020.13204

14. Kasenow, M. (1997). Introduction to aquifer analysis. Water Resources Publication.

15. Krásný, J. (1993). Classification of transmissivity magnitude and variation. Groundwater, 31(2), 230-236. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-6584.1993.tb01815.x

16. Kruseman, G. P., De Ridder, N. A., & Verweij, J. M. (1970). Analysis and evaluation of pumping test data (Vol. 11, p. 200). Wageningen, The Netherlands: International institute for land reclamation and improvement.

17. Kubba, F. A. (1998). Conjunctive use of groundwater and surface water in the Western Desert of Iraq: A case study of the Kasra area (Doctoral dissertation). University of Baghdad, Iraq.

18. Llamas, M. R., & Martínez-Santos, P. (2005a). Intensive groundwater use: silent revolution and potential source of social conflicts. Journal of water resources planning and management, 131(5), 337-341. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9496(2005)131:5(337)

19. Llamas, M. R., & Martinez-Santos, P. (2005b). Intensive groundwater use: a silent revolution that cannot be ignored. Water Science and Technology, 51(8), 167-174. https://doi.org/10.2166/wst.2005.0254

20. Mawlood, D. K. (2019). Sustainability of aquifer and ground water condition in Erbil basin/Iraq. ZANCO journal of pure and applied sciences, 31(6). http://dx.doi.org/10.21271/ZJPAS.31.6.6

21. McPherson, B. (2003). D. Deming: Introduction to Hydrogeology. Hydrogeology Journal, 11(3), 413.

22. Mustafa, J. S. (2017). Aquifer parameters and well efficiency estimation for a selected site in Erbil Governorate (Master’s thesis). Salahaddin University–Erbil, Iraq. pp: 225.

23. Mustafa, J. S., & Mawlood, D. K. (2023). Estimating of groundwater recharge in North, Central, and South Basin of Erbil. Mathematical Modelling in Civil Engineering, 18(1), 14-24. https://doi.org/10.2478/mmce-2023-0002

24. Mustafa, J. S., & Mawlood, D. K. (2024). Mathematical modelling for groundwater management for multilayers aquifers (Erbil basin). Ain Shams Engineering Journal, 15(7), 102781. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asej.2024.102781

25. Paswan, A. K., Tiwari, V. M., Agarwal, A., Asoka, A., Rangarajan, R., & Ahmed, S. (2024). Long-term spatiotemporal variation in groundwater recharge in the highly irrigated semi-arid region of India: the intertwined relationship between climate variability and anthropogenic activities. Groundwater for Sustainable Development, 25, 101148. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsd.2024.101148.

26. Salameh, E. 2008. Over-exploitation of groundwater resources and their environmental and socio-economic implications: the case of Jordan. Water International, 33(1), pp.55-68. https://doi.org/10.1080/02508060801927663

27. Shwani, S. O. I. (2008). Hydrogeology and hydrochemistry of the Bashtapa sub-basin in Erbil Governorate, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (Master’s thesis). Salahaddin University–Erbil, Iraq. pp:180.

28. Sissakian, V. K., & Fouad, S. F. (2015). Geological map of Iraq, scale 1: 1000 000, 2012. Iraqi Bulletin of Geology and Mining, 11(1), 9-16.

29. Theis, C. V. (1935). The relation between the lowering of the piezometric surface and the rate and duration of discharge of a well using ground‐water storage. Eos, Transactions American Geophysical Union, 16(2), 519-524. https://doi.org/10.1029/TR016i002p00519

30. Tran, T. N. D., Le, M. H., Zhang, R., Nguyen, B. Q., Bolten, J. D., & Lakshmi, V. (2023a). Robustness of gridded precipitation products for Vietnam basins using the comprehensive assessment framework of rainfall (vol 293, 106923, 2023). ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH, 294. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosres.2023.106923

31. Tran, T. N. D., Nguyen, B. Q., Grodzka-Łukaszewska, M., Sinicyn, G., & Lakshmi, V. (2023b). The role of reservoirs under the impacts of climate change on the Srepok River basin, Central Highlands of Vietnam. Frontiers in Environmental Science, 11, 1304845. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2023.1304845.

32. Tumlinson, L. G., Osiensky, J. L., & Fairley, J. P. (2006). Numerical evaluation of pumping well transmissivity estimates in laterally heterogeneous formations. Hydrogeology Journal, 14(1), 21-30. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10040-004-0386-5.

33. Waseem, M., Ahmad, I., Mujtaba, A., Tayyab, M., Si, C., Lü, H., & Dong, X. (2020). Spatiotemporal dynamics of precipitation in southwest arid-agriculture zones of Pakistan. Sustainability, 12(6), 2305. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12062305

Downloads

Published

2026-03-31

Issue

Vol. 57 No. 3 (2026)

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Seber M. M. Ameen, Rebwar N. Dara

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Ameen, S. M. M., & Dara, R. N. (2026). HYDROGEOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF QUSHTAPA AND SHAMAMIK AREA IN ERBIL BASIN, USING PUMPING TEST DATA. IRAQI JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES, 57(3), 710-731. https://doi.org/10.36103/cjrsy517