Chapter 15 Gulf Umm er Radhuma- Dammam Aquifer System (Centre) 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 15 - UMM ER RADHUMA-DAMMAM AQUIFER SYSTEM (CENTRE): GULF Umm er Radhuma- Dammam Aquifer System (Centre) Gulf EXECUTIVE SUMMARY BASIN FACTS The central section of the Umm er Radhuma- RIPARIAN COUNTRIES Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia Dammam Aquifer System extends over a Alat, Khobar, Dammam, Rus, 400 km-wide structural platform that stretches ALTERNATIVE NAMES across three Gulf States: Bahrain, Qatar and Umm er Radhuma Saudi Arabia. In the western low-plateau areas, RENEWABILITY Very low to low (0-20 mm/yr) the aquifer system is dominated by the Umm er Radhuma, while in the eastern plains it becomes HYDRAULIC LINKAGE Weak more complex as the Umm er Radhuma and the WITH SURFACE WATER Dammam are separated by the Rus Formation and overlain by Neogene-Quaternary units. ROCK TYPE Fissured/karstic Limited recharge occurs mainly through the AQUIFER TYPE Unconfined to confined Umm er Radhuma outcrops. The general direction of groundwater flow in the aquifer EXTENT ~281,000 km2 system is from west to east in Saudi Arabia. AGE Cenozoic (Paleogene) The aquifer system is heavily exploited for Mainly limestone and dolomite, with some LITHOLOGY agricultural development projects in Saudi evaporites Arabia, with most water abstracted from the Dammam: 35-180 m Dammam. The Dammam is also the main THICKNESS source of irrigation water in Bahrain, while the Umm er Radhuma: 240-500 m Umm er Radhuma supplies most of the water Bahrain: for domestic and industrial purposes. In Qatar, Dammam: 97 MCM (2010) water is drawn from the Umm er Radhuma AVERAGE ANNUAL Umm er Radhuma: 54.3 MCM (2006) and Rus in the north. The Umm er Radhuma- ABSTRACTION Dammam Aquifer System in the Gulf region Qatar: 91 MCM (1983) is increasingly threatened by salinization as a Saudi Arabia: ~608 MCM (2006) result of seawater intrusion and over-pumping. Bahrain: 90 MCM (safe yield) STORAGE Qatar: 2.5 BCM Saudi Arabia: 235 BCM Fresh (mostly <1 g/L TDS) WATER QUALITY to hypersaline in some coastal areas Mainly agricultural, also domestic, WATER USE industrial and urban irrigational use AGREEMENTS - SUSTAINABILITY Over-exploitation and salinization 386 INVENTORY OF SHARED WATER RESOURCES IN WESTERN ASIA - PART 2 OVERVIEW MAP 48°E 51°E ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Dibdibba Delta ! Iraq ! ) ! ! ! ! N ! ! ( ! Iran a ! ! Wadi al Batin ! ! ! ! ! m ! ! u Kuwait ! Coastal Sabkha d h ! a ! ! ! R ! ! ! ! r ! ! e ! ! L i ! n P e r s i a n G u l m i t o f U m m m a f a l ! ! S ! Bahrain ! - n ! ! ! a ! ! y i d ! W! ! ! ! ! Qatar ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Saudi Arabia ! ! ! UAE ! 4 ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 27°N ! 27°N ! 3 ! Oman ! ! Jubail ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Wadi al Miyah ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! Qatif ! ! ! ! ! ! Da m m a m ! 2 ! ! ! Do m e ! ! B ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Khobar ! Dammam ! ! ! ! ! !H ! ! 1 ! ! ! ! Manama ! B' ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! B a h r a i n ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! e ! ! ! n ! ! ! i ! ! ! l c e i ! t ! ! ! n ! ! i n ! l ! ! c A Hofuf ! i ! ! t ! a ! n l ! ! Q a t a r ! a ! A ! Doha ! ! N e !H n ! Hasa ! n a n ! ! i ! l ! ! g ! E ! r c i u t ! ! n B ! ! ! - ! ! A u ! Khurays ! s A' y a ! a ! n ! e r ! ! a ! ! t u ! ! h h Salwa k a A ! l Riyadh K ! u ! ! ! ! D P ! !H ! ! ! d ! j ! ! ! ! ! ! a ! ! N ! ! GhawwarAnticline ! Haradh ! ! h ! ! ! ! c ! r ! ! A ! ! ! ! !!! r ! !!! !!! ! ! a ! t 24°N a 24°N Q ! ! ! ! ! Central A ! rabian Arch ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Saudi Arabia ! ! ! ! ! ! Sabkhat Matti ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! m a ( S ) ! h u ! d R a e r i ! l m K h a m a l U ! ' o f u b ! i t R m ! i L 0 37.5 75 150 km ! Najd ! Plateau ! Umm er Radhuma-Dammam Aquifer System (Centre):! Gulf Wadi Dawasir ! ! !H Capital Umm er Radhuma Formation outcrop ! Selected city, town Dammam and Rus Formation outcrop Rub'al Khali Depression ! Inventory of Shared Water International boundary Approximate subsurface extent of the aquifer formations! Resources in Western Asia Intermittent river, wadi Approximate extent of exploitable area ! Disclaimer ! The boundaries and names shown and the designations Zone of agricultural development (selection) used on this map do not imply official endorsement or Sabkha ! acceptance by the United Nations. ! ! ! ! ! Anticline ! Physiographic boundary F ! A A' Hydrogeological cross-section 1 Dahna Desert ! 2 Summan Plateau! Direction of groundwater flow ! 3 Hasa Plain © UN-ESCWA - BGR Beirut 2013 ! 4 Gulf Coastal Plain ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 387 ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! CHAPTER 15 - UMM ER RADHUMA-DAMMAM AQUIFER SYSTEM (CENTRE): GULF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 390 Location 391 Area 391 Climate 391 Population 391 Other aquifers in the area 391 Information sources 391 HYDROGEOLOGY - AQUIFER CHARACTERISTICS 392 Aquifer configuration 392 Stratigraphy 393 Aquifer thickness 393 Aquifer type 393 Aquifer parameters 393 HYDROGEOLOGY - GROUNDWATER 396 Recharge 396 Flow regime 396 Storage 397 Discharge 397 Water quality 397 Exploitability 398 GROUNDWATER USE 399 Groundwater abstraction and use 399 Groundwater quality issues 400 Sustainability issues 400 AGREEMENTS, COOPERATION & OUTLOOK 401 Agreements 401 Cooperation 401 Outlook 401 NOTES 402 BIBLIOGRAPHY 403 388 INVENTORY OF SHARED WATER RESOURCES IN WESTERN ASIA - PART 2 FIGURES Hydrogeological section across the Gulf-Coastal Plain (a) near the FIGURE 1. 392 Saudi-Qatari border, and (b) near the Dammam Dome in Saudi Arabia Recharge estimates from rainfall for the Umm er Radhuma Aquifer in FIGURE 2. 396 eastern Saudi Arabia (1952-1977) Groundwater salinity map - Umm er Radhuma-Dammam Aquifer FIGURE 3. 398 System (Centre) Major element concentrations in the Dammam and Umm er Radhuma FIGURE 4. 398 Aquifers Historical abstraction from the Dammam and Umm er Radhuma FIGURE 5. 399 Aquifers in eastern Saudi Arabia (1967-2010) Historical abstraction from the Dammam Aquifer in Bahrain FIGURE 6. 400 (1952-2010) TABLES Hydraulic parameters of the Umm er Radhuma-Dammam Aquifer TABLE 1. 394 System (Centre) Lithostratigraphy and water-bearing characteristics of the Umm er TABLE 2. 395 Radhuma-Dammam Aquifer System (Centre) Groundwater reserves in the eastern Umm er Radhuma-Dammam TABLE 3. 397 Aquifer System in Saudi Arabia 389 CHAPTER 15 - UMM ER RADHUMA-DAMMAM AQUIFER SYSTEM (CENTRE): GULF INTRODUCTION The Umm er Radhuma-Dammam Aquifer System in this Inventory The Umm er Radhuma-Dammam Aquifer System extends affect the productivity of this formation in Yemen and vice from northern Iraq to the southern coast of the Arabian versa. Furthermore, there is significant variation in the Peninsula over a distance of 2,200 km. Overall, it covers an lithostratigraphy of these three formations, particularly the area of more than 1,220,000 km2, of which 363,000 km2 is Rus, which is water-bearing in some areas, while acting as an covered by outcrops. The total area of this aquifer system in aquitard in others. Saudi Arabia, which shares the northern, central and southern sections with neighbouring countries, is 662,000 km2 (see Because of the large geographical extent and the ‘Overview and Methodology: Groundwater’ chapter, Map 2). lithostratigraphic variations within the formations, the aquifer system has for the purpose of this Inventory been divided into This system generally comprises three Paleogene (Paleocene- three sections: a northern section (see Chap. 16), a central Eocene) Formations: the Dammam, the Rus and the Umm section (see current chapter) and a southern section (see er Radhuma. These formations stretch across Iraq, Yemen Chap. 14).2 This division, which is primarily based on the and the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries.1 However, geographical extent of the formations, also takes relevant the water contained within these formations cannot be geological information into consideration to define the section considered shared between all countries. For example, a boundaries. well pumping from the Dammam Formation in Iraq cannot Hofuf Oasis, Saudi Arabia, 2011. Source: Chris Helmkamp. 390 INVENTORY OF SHARED WATER RESOURCES IN WESTERN ASIA - PART 2 Introduction LOCATION The central section of the Umm er Radhuma– summer, though higher temperatures are not Dammam Aquifer System lies in a nearly flat uncommon during this season.4 Mean annual 400 km-wide structural platform (Interior rainfall lies at 90-95 mm,5 and is concentrated in Platform) stretching from the eastern edge winter and spring. of the Najd Plateau to the Qatar Peninsula. It is bound to the north by Wadi al Batin, the Dibdibba Delta and coastal sabkha. In the south, POPULATION it borders on the northern limit of the Rub’ al Khali Desert and the Sabkhat Matti. This section Around 4 million people live in the east of Saudi extends across three Gulf states: Bahrain, Qatar Arabia, a region which has flourished since and Saudi Arabia (see Overview Map). the discovery of large quantities of oil in the 1930s. Key cities include Dammam, Dhahran, Khobar and Qatif.6 Around 3 million people live in AREA Bahrain (1.2 million)7 and Qatar (1.7 million).8 The central section of the aquifer covered in this chapter represents around 23% of the aquifer OTHER AQUIFERS IN THE AREA system’s total area. Within the boundary of the suggested delineation, the aquifer covers a total Large parts of the aquifer system are overlain area of 281,000 km2, of which about 560 km2 by Neogene-Quaternary sediments, which are located in Bahrain, 11,300 km2 in Qatar and constitute a relatively shallow aquifer in this 269,000 km2 in Saudi Arabia. area. This aquifer system is also to varying degrees connected with the Umm er Radhuma- The largest outcrop of the Dammam Aquifer Dammam system. The Wasia-Biyadh Formations covers almost all of Qatar, with smaller outcrops underlie the whole area but constitute a source across Bahrain and around the city of Dammam of freshwater only in Saudi Arabia, mainly in the in Saudi Arabia.