Water Resources Protection Plan for Zara – Ma`een – Mujib Project Watershed Prepared by: Geo. Abbas Kalbouneh (WAJ), Bio. Refiat Bani Khalaf (WAJ), Eng. Ahmmad Ulaimat (WAJ) and Geo. Ahmmad Abu Hejleh (CDM) Contents Page 1) Introduction………………………………………………………2 2) Objective of the project…………………………………………2 3) Project area descriptions ………………………………………2 3.1 Location………………………………………………..2 3.2 Climate…………………………………………………2 3.3 Topographic, Geologic and Structural Setting..........4 3.4 Water Resources……………………………………...7 3.5 Water Quality…………………………………………..10 4) Land use Practices and Its Possible Pollution Impacts……..12 5) Water Resources Protection Plan for ZZM Watershed……..17 6) Conclusions and recommendations……………………………21 1) Introduction Surface water resources are increasingly important for domestic water supply in Jordan. In order to protect the water resources in Zara- Ma`een- Mujib project watershed, WAJ with cooperation with USA-CDM Co. implement a project concerning surface and ground water resources protections in this watershed. Zara – Ma`een – Mujib (ZMM) Watershed is located in the central part of Jordan, including the majority of Madaba Governorate, and limited southern parts of Amman Governorate. In ZMM Watershed, the base flow and the flood flows are used to supply the Zara Maieen Water treatment plant with raw water that is treated and then pumped to the Capital Amman. This supply is done through The Mujib dam and the Walla dam. Other sources that includes the Wadi Zarqa Maieen springs, the hot springs and the Wadi Abu Khusheibah. Water Resources Protection Plan for Zara-Ma`een-Mujib Project Watershed is a technical definition used to explain the restrictions (prohibitions, limitations and measures) on urban, industrial, touristic and agricultural development. For each protection zone special restrictions are developed and defined, and presents the concept of water resources protection zones and the implemented methodology for delineating the water protection zones for the Zara – Ma’een – Mujib Watershed. 2) Objective of the project The objectives of the Project are as follows 1. Developing Water Resources Protection Zones for the Zara – Ma`een – Mujib Watershed: a. Water protection Zone-1,2 and 3 for the dams, wadis and springs. b. water protections Zone1,2 and 3 for the major wadis in the watershed. 2. Land use Practices and Its Possible Pollution Impacts Within the Zara – Ma`een – Mujib Watershed 3. Providing technical support to the WAJ in developing Watershed Management Plans for Wadi Es-sir and Mujib Zara Ma`een Watersheds; 3) Project area descriptions 3.1 Location The Zara – Ma`een – Mujib (ZMM) Watershed is located in the central part of Jordan including the majority of Madaba Governorate, and some southern parts of Amman Governorate (Figure 3-1). The area of the ZMM Watershed covers about 1019 Km2 merging between the Jordan valley (central zone) morphology and the eastern escarpment morphology. 3.2 Climate The northern and Eastern parts of the ZMM watershed characterized by a Mediterranean climate as the rest of Jordan’s highland, with a wet winter season (October – April) and a dry winter summer season (April – September). While the 2 western parts of the watershed characterize by a sub-tropical climate, mild winters and very hot summers. Annual average temperatures vary around mid twenties degree and can exceed the 40 C in summer. While during the winter night’s, temperature might decrease below 10 C. The winter precipitation tends to fall in short and intense events. According the records of the 5 rainfall stations located in the watershed, the yearly average rainfall within the different parts of the watershed varies 214 mm in Dhiban station to 314 mm in Mushaqqar station. Yearly rainfall data (Years 1998-2008) for the 5 rainfall stations of the watershed are presented in table 3-1 and illustrated in Figure 3-2. Table 3-1: Yearly rainfall data (Years 1998-2008) for the rainfall stations in the ZMM watershed Year Madaba Maieen Mushaqqar Wadi Wala Dhiban 1998 188.6 228.1 221.8 NA 117.5 1999 167 113.6 154.7 NA 113.5 2000 288.7 296 336 273.1 304 2001 232 234.5 248.1 252 292.3 2002 438 362.2 468.5 409.9 364 2003 288.9 300 337.9 176.5 230.2 2004 343.9 252 416.3 256.5 259.6 2005 321.1 245.6 367.9 180.2 175.6 2006 300.5 228.3 344.9 199.7 204 2007 322.8 263.1 351.2 207.9 200.7 2008 166.2 151 208.2 114.3 93.5 Yearly Average 277.97 243.13 314.14 230.01 214.08 Figure 3-1: Location Map Of The Zara Main Mujib (ZMM) Watershed 3 500 Madaba Ma'in 450 Mushaqqar Wadi Wala Dhiban 400 350 300 250 Yearly Rainfall - mm - Rainfall Yearly 200 150 100 50 0 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Year Figure 3-2: Yearly rainfall data (Years 1998-2008) for the rainfall stations in the ZMM watershed 3.3 Topographic, Geologic and Structural Setting The Variation in topography within the “ZMMW” is wide, where the elevation varies between 900 m ASL and 1000 m ASL in the northeast and the south of the watershed to -400 m BSL on the shores of the Dead Sea. The major topographical feature within the study area is the Dead Sea. It is landlocked and fed by the Jordan River and run-off from side wadis. The Dead Sea is located about 418 meters below sea level-the lowest elevation and the lowest body of water on the surface of the Earth. The total surface area of the Dead Sea catchment is approximately 40,700 km2. Also, the ZMM watershed includes several major wadis (from the south to the North) such as: Wadi Mujib, Wadi Wala & Hedan, Wadi Abu Khusheibah and Wadi Zarqa – Ma`een. Geological Description Due to the tectonic activities that formulated the Jordan rift valley and continue to occur over millions of years, in association of the erosion activities especially during the recent geological period, major portion of Jordan’s geological strata are outcropping and can be identified along the Jordan valley. Cambrian, Triassic and Cretaceous System are outcrops mainly distributed through the foothills, the escarpment along the valley. While the Tertiary and Quaternary deposits cover most of the area, igneous rocks are of limited occurrence and concentrated in the southern parts of the valley within Wadi Araba and Aqaba areas. The major geological 4 units (formations) exposed along and in the vicinity of the understudy area are listed in Table 3-3, and presented through the geological map of the project area (Figure 3-3). The Triassic – Jurassic/Lower Cretaceous Sedimentary Rocks. This system consist of a thick sequence of sandstone with intercalated beds of carbonate rocks, and include two major geological groups, these are The Kurnub Sandstone “K”), and the older Zarqa Group (Z). Zarqa Group The Zarqa Group is exposed at very limited areas mainly in the eastern Jordan Valley escarpment as a narrow belt and its locally out crops in the study area near Ghor Kabid. It is mainly composed of alternating calcareous sandstones, oolitic marls, blue-gray shales, gray and yellow limestones, crystalline limestones, marly limestones and partly dolomitic limestones with sandy limestone and sandy marls beds. Kurnub Group Kurnub Group consists mainly of white, multi-coloured and grey sandstone, mostly medium- to coarse-grained, with thin beds of grey and brownish siltstone. In northern Jordan, very fine- to coarse-grained, partly carbonaceous sandstone with intercalations of sandy dolomite, dolomitic limestone, siltstone and shale are common. Table 3-3: Description of Outcropping Formation Period Epoch Group Formation Symbol Lithology Quaternary Holocene Fan, talus, Sand, clay, gravel (recent) terrace, river Pleistocene Jordan valley Lisan J Marl, clay, gypsum, sand, gravel Tertiary Pliocene Basalt B Basalt Dolerite Miocene Undifferentiated Oligocene Eocene Balqa Rijam B4 Chert limestone Paleocene Upper Maestrichtion Muwaqqar B3 Chalk marl cretaceous Companion Amman B2 Silicified limestone, chert Santonian Wadi Ghudran B1 Chalk, chalky marl Turonian Ajlun Wadi Sir A7 Limestone Cenomanian Shuaib A5-6 Marly limestone Hummar A4 Limestone Fuheis A3 Marl Naur A1-2 Marl, limestone Lower Albian Kurnub K White sandstone with cretaceous Aptain dolomite and shale; Neocomian varicolored sandstone with limestone, shale, dolomite and marl Jusrassic Zarqa Azab Z2 Limestone, marl, dolomite, sandstone, shale Traissic Main Z1 Sandstone, calcareous sandstone, limestone, shale, gypsum Cambrian Ram Umm Ishrin Sandstone, siltstone Burj salib Precambrian Aqaba & Araba G+Sr. Igneous, metamorphic, 5 Period Epoch Group Formation Symbol Lithology complexes Conglomerate “Upper cretaceous – Lower Tertiary” System. This system consists of a thick sequence of carbonate rocks and represented by two geological groups, these are the Balqa and Ajloun Groups. The Belqa Group overlies with conformity the Ajloun group, and consists of thick beds of chalky limestone overlain by thick beds of limestone, which considered as an important aquifer, while Ajloun group consist of seven formations (A1-7). The Lower Ajloun Group The Lower Ajloun Group overlies disconformably the Kurnub Group. It comprises a Late Cretaceous sequence dominated by marl, limestone, dolomite, and shale. The system is characterized by large variations in lithology and thickness. It is mainly outcrops on the slopes of the rift escarpment and the side wadis. The lower Ajloun group include the following formations: the Na'ur Formation (A1/2); the Fuheis Formation (A3); : The Hummar Formation (A4) and the Shuayb Formation (A5/6). The Balqa Group This group consist of a thick sequence of carbonate rocks consists mainly of limestone and dolomitic limestone, and were divided into the following formations: Wadi Umm Ghudran Formation (B1): Amman Silicified Formation (B2a) ; Al-Hisa Phosphorite Formation (B2b); Muaqqar Chalk - Marl Formation (B3); Umm Rijam Chert- Limestone Formation (B4), and Wadi Shallalh (B5) formation: Quaternary & Recent Deposits The Lisan Formation of Jordan Valley Group of Quaternary Period and Pleistocene Epoch.