Hydrogeoochemical Evaluation Of Middle Eocene Limestone Aquifer Using Multivariate Statistics And Visual Models, East El Minia Governorate, Egypt

Abstract

East Minia is considered as one of the most promising areas for the establishment of numerous sustainable development projects. The Middle Eocene Limestone aquifer is the main water source needed for the establishment of these projects. Therefore, 32 collected samples from different wells and chemically analyzed to determine the suitability of that water for drinking and irrigation, as well as mentioned to the various factors controlling the water quality through the application of hydrochemical diagrams and statistical analysis. TDS value of the studied water samples was ranged from 271 to 2328 ppm which indicates that nearby is 93.8% of the investigated water samples are acceptable for drinking uses, while total hardness value ranged from 32.19 to 1035.44 which indicates that there is 93.8% of the studied groundwater samples are suitable for domestic uses. Statistical analyses, Gibbs and End-member diagrams indicate that the water-rock interactions, geochemical process (Redox), besides anthropogenic activities are the essential contributor to the investigated groundwater chemical composition. Thus, the studied water is suitable for irrigation purposes based on the calculated sodium hazards and salinity.