Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Middle East

Through complex groundwater modelling, Dar determined the optimal operation scenarios for a highly-strategic groundwater reservoir, designed to singlehandedly supply the desert city of Abu Dhabi with sufficient freshwater in emergency conditions and for a time period of up to 90 days.

Groundwater Management

Water

A highly ambitious venture, the project comprises a freshwater reservoir with a volume of 26 x 10⁶ m³. This aquifer has efficient hydraulic characteristics, enabling it to host excess desalinated water, which is inserted through specially designed infiltration basins to be recovered or withdrawn when needed.

To make this possible, Dar’s groundwater team used a wealth of hydrogeological data to develop a coupled groundwater flow and mass transport model, conditioned on both head and concentration data, for the aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) systems. Our objective was to determine optimal operation scenarios for the ASR plants in terms of freshwater recharge and abstraction rates, in order to ensure that the mixing of recharged/abstracted freshwater with native saline/brackish water is kept to a minimum and that the stored water is retained safely and efficiently to the extent possible.

The scope of the project also included supporting the establishment of a groundwater monitoring network, consisting of 30 multi-level observation wells (three levels each). The ASR systems also incorporated 315 recovery wells, each of which was equipped with pressure probes. 105 wells were additionally equipped with multi-parameter probes used to measure electrical conductivity and temperature. This monitoring network will support long-term operations at the site, ensuring the best possible quality.