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Chapter 21 Yarmouk Basin Basalt Aquifer System (West) INVENTORY OF SHARED WATER RESOURCES IN WESTERN ASIA (ONLINE VERSION) How to cite UN-ESCWA and BGR (United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia; Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe). 2013. Inventory of Shared Water Resources in Western Asia. Beirut. CHAPTER 21- BASALT AQUIFER SYSTEM (WEST): YARMOUK BASIN Basalt Aquifer System (West) Yarmouk Basin EXECUTIVE SUMMARY BASIN FACTS The Yarmouk Basin constitutes the western RIPARIAN COUNTRIES Jordan, Syria section of the Basalt Aquifer Complex. It extends between the Jebel al Arab Mountain, the Hauran ALTERNATIVE NAMES - Plateau and the south-eastern foothills of RENEWABILITY High Mount Hermon. In the south-west, the Basalt Aquifer stretches into the Golan Heights to Lake HYDRAULIC LINKAGE Medium (20-100 mm/yr) Tiberias. WITH SURFACE WATER Groundwater flow is generally directed from ROCK TYPE Fractured to mixed topographically higher catchments to the major AQUIFER TYPE Unconfined discharge zone around Wadi Hreer-Mzeirib in the Yarmouk Basin, while the western part of EXTENT ~7,000 km2 the Golan Heights drains towards Lake Tiberias. Neogene-Quaternary, Paleogene Groundwater discharge in the Yarmouk Basin AGE (Upper Cretaceous) appears to be largely maintained by present- day recharge over wide catchment areas, with LITHOLOGY Basalt, limestone travel periods of several thousands of years. The main aquifer system in the basin comprises THICKNESS <100 m - >300 m permeable layers in Neogene-Quaternary AVERAGE ANNUAL basalts and the underlying sedimentary .. ABSTRACTION rocks (Paleogene and/or Upper Cretaceous formations, depending on the lithostratigraphy STORAGE .. of the sequence), which are hydraulically connected with the basalts. WATER QUALITY Mainly fresh WATER USE Agricultural and domestic Groundwater and surface water are closely interlinked in this region and the Basalt Aquifer Groundwater-related provisions in constitutes an important source of water for the 1987 agreement regarding the AGREEMENTS the Yarmouk River and the Jordan Basin as a utilization of the waters of the whole. Large-scale expansion of groundwater Yarmouk River abstraction in some parts of the Yarmouk Basin is likely to have affected natural flow and Over-exploitation of groundwater, discharge patterns within a larger radius and SUSTAINABILITY reduced spring flow in discharge zone, local may have contributed to the hydrological decline groundwater pollution of the Yarmouk River. This has long been a point of conflict between Jordanian and Syrian authorities. 510 INVENTORY OF SHARED WATER RESOURCES IN WESTERN ASIA - PART 2 OVERVIEW MAP ! ! !H ! ! 36°E ! ! Damascus ! ! Wadi Liwa ! # ! ! M o u n t H ! ! Turkey ! ! ! ! ! ! L e b a n o n Iran ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Syria ! ! ! Lebanon ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! !!!! ! ! ! ! ! ! Damascus Basin ! ! ! ! ! Palestine Iraq ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Israel Jordan ! ! ! ! ! Kuwait ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Saudi Arabia ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Quneytra ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! Wadi ! ! ! ! ! ! ! S y r i a Jordan Golan ! ! ! ! ! ! Hreer ! ! Basin ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! Leja Plateau! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Allan ! ! ! Raqqad ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! Wadi ! ! ! Wadi ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Ezraa ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Arram ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Lake ! ! Wadi ! Yarmouk ! ! ! Tiberias ! ! ! ! Yarmouk Basin ! ! ! ! ! As Suwayda ! Zeizoun ! ! ! ! Hammad ! Wadi ! ! ! ! ! ! Dhahab # ! ! ! ! ! ! Basin ! ! Jebel al Arab ! Arab ! ! I s r a e l ! !! Dar'a ! Wadi ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Wadi Zeydi ! ! ! ! ! Irbid ! ! ! ! ! ! Bosra ! Hauran Plain ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!!!!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!! ! ! ! ! ! ! Jordan ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Ajloun ! !!!! ! !!! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!! ! ! ! ! ! Mafraq ! ! Ramtha-Wadi Sirhan Fault Jerash ! ! ! ! ! ! Azraq-Dhuleil Basin ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! P a l e s t i n e ! J o r d a n ! ! ! ! (West Bank) ! ! ! Wadi Zarqa ! ! Wadi ! ! Dhuleil ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Amman Zarqa Basin ! ! Dhuleil ! ! ! ! Zarqa ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 0 10 20 40 ! ! 32°N ! ! ! 32°N ! ! ! ! km ! ! Amman ! ! ! ! ! !H ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!! ! ! ! ! ! !!!!! ! ! ! ! ! Amman! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Basalt Aquifer System (West): Yarmouk Basin ! Azraq ! !!! !H ! Capital Quaternary volcanics ! ! ! ! Selected city, town Neogene volcanics ! ! ! International boundary Quaternary-Neogene undifferentiated ! Inventory of Shared Water Armistice Demarcation Line !! Paleogene (Wadi Shallala and Umm Rijam Fms) Resources in Western Asia ! ! River Cretaceous (Amman and Wadi as Sir Fms) ! ! ! Disclaimer ! Intermittent river, wadi Pre-Cambrian outcrops ! The designations employed and the presentation of material ! on this map do not imply the expression of any opinion ! Freshwater lake Direction of groundwater flow in Yarmouk Basin ! whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United ! Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, ! ! city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation ! # ! Mountain of its frontiers or boundaries. ! ! !! ! ! ! ! Boundary of Yarmouk Basin Graben ! !! ! ! ! ! Basin boundary © UN-ESCWA - BGR Beirut 2013 511 CHAPTER 21- BASALT AQUIFER SYSTEM (WEST): YARMOUK BASIN CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 514 Location 515 Area 515 Climate 515 Population 515 Other aquifers in the area 515 Information sources 515 HYDROGEOLOGY - AQUIFER CHARACTERISTICS 516 Aquifer configuration 516 Stratigraphy 516 Aquifer thickness 517 Aquifer type 517 Aquifer parameters 517 HYDROGEOLOGY - GROUNDWATER 519 Recharge 519 Flow regime 519 Storage 519 Discharge 519 Water quality 520 Exploitability 521 GROUNDWATER USE 522 Groundwater abstraction and use 522 Groundwater quality issues 522 Sustainability issues 522 AGREEMENTS, COOPERATION & OUTLOOK 524 Agreements 524 Cooperation 524 Outlook 524 NOTES 525 BIBLIOGRAPHY 526 512 INVENTORY OF SHARED WATER RESOURCES IN WESTERN ASIA - PART 2 FIGURES Schematic geological cross-section through the Jebel al Arab FIGURE 1. 516 Mountain range Groundwater salinity and groundwater level map – Basalt Aquifer FIGURE 2. 520 System Groundwater use and irrigated areas in the Yarmouk Basin in Syria FIGURE 3. 522 (1999-2009) TABLES Lithostratigraphy of volcanic and sedimentary formations in the TABLE 1. 517 Basalt Aquifer Complex TABLE 2. Mean annual discharge of major springs in the Yarmouk Basin 520 BOXES BOX 1. The Golan Heights 523 513 CHAPTER 21- BASALT AQUIFER SYSTEM (WEST): YARMOUK BASIN INTRODUCTION The Basalt Aquifer System in this Inventory The Quaternary-Neogene basalts of the North Arabian Volcanic Azraq-Dhuleil Basin Province extend from south-western Syria through eastern Jordan The basin2 extends across the border of Syria and Jordan, and the into Saudi Arabia over a total length of around 460 km and with a aquifer system within the basin is referred to as the Basalt Aquifer width of 50-150 km. System (South-East) (see Chap. 22). In the basin, the basalts They cover an area of approximately 48,000 km2, of which are hydraulically connected with the Paleogene (Shallala-Rijam) 11,000 km2 is located in Jordan, 23,000 km2 in Saudi Arabia and formations in the eastern areas and the Cretaceous (Amman-Wadi 14,000 km2 in Syria. The basalts generally overlie sedimentary as Sir) formations in the western areas to form one aquifer system formations of Paleogene and Cretaceous ages (Figure 1) and are with both formations. hydraulically connected with them to form a complex aquifer system that is denoted as the Basalt Aquifer Complex in the Wadi Sirhan Basin 1 Inventory. This volcano-sedimentary complex extends across the The basin extends across the border of Jordan and Saudi Arabia boundaries of Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Syria (see ‘Overview and and the aquifer system within the basin is denoted as the Tawil- Methodology: Groundwater’ chapter) to constitute shared aquifer Quaternary Aquifer System (see Chap. 17). In the basin, the systems in the following basins: Quaternary-Neogene basalts and alluvium form the upper part of a thick aquifer system that comprises both the Paleogene and Yarmouk Basin Cretaceous (Tawil-Sharawra) formations. The basin extends across the border of Syria and Jordan and the aquifer system within the basin is denoted as the Basalt Aquifer The Basalt Aquifer Complex, which was originally delineated on System (West) (see current chapter). In the basin, the basalts the basis of surface drainage and morphology, comprises three generally overlie the Paleogene (Shallala-Rijam) formations, other basins that are of less relevance as shared aquifers. They except in certain structurally high locations where the Paleogene are therefore not covered in separate chapters in this Inventory. 3 is missing and the basalts come in direct contact with the The Golan Basin and Damascus Basin lie entirely in Syria, the Cretaceous (Amman-Wadi as Sir) formations. Amman-Zarqa Basin lies entirely in Jordan while the basalts in the Hammad Basin are practically dewatered.4 Basalt Desert, Jordan, 2005. Source: Robert Bewley, Aerial Photographic Archive for Archaeology in the Middle East. 514 INVENTORY OF SHARED WATER RESOURCES IN WESTERN ASIA - PART 2 Introduction LOCATION Mafraq), the boundary of the Basalt Aquifer is formed by the limit of the extent of the saturated The Basalt Aquifer System (West), hereafter aquifer. referred to as the Yarmouk Basin, covers wide areas of south-western Syria and a smaller area Based on surface topography, the Yarmouk
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