EVALUATION OF GROUNDWATER RESOURCES OF THE FRACTURED EOCENE LIMESTONE AQUIFERS AT SOME WADIS, EAST EL MINIA GOVERNORATE, EASTERN DESERT, EGYPT

El Minia governorate desert fringes represent one of the interested areas for the future land reclamation
and establishing of new communities. The present work aims to evaluate the groundwater resources of the
fractured Eocene limestone aquifers at some wadis, east El Minia governorate. The study area is
characterized by large surface area, 6288 km2 with good groundwater and soil potentialities. Accordingly,
the evaluation of this groundwater resources is required. Hydrogeologically, two main aquifers are
encountered in the study area, namely Maghagha marly limestone and Samalut chalky limestone aquifers.
Maghagha aquifer is composed of alternated layers of marly limestone and shale with penetrated
thickness ranging from 3.49 m to 177.05 m and a depth to groundwater ranging from 8.5 m to 59.27 m
from ground surface. This aquifer has groundwater salinity ranges from 603.5 mg/l to 978.5 mg/l,
reflecting fresh water type. Samalut aquifer is made up of chalky, cavernous and fractured limestone with
penetrated thickness ranging from 30 m to 205 m and a depth to groundwater ranging from 9 m to 86.77 m
from the ground surface. The groundwater salinity of the concerned aquifer ranges from 349.7 mg/l to
2043.9 mg/l, reflects fresh to possibly brackish water types. Maghagha aquifer has low potentiality, while,
Samalut aquifer represents the main productive water bearing rocks, reflecting moderate to high
groundwater potentiality. The groundwater flows are mainly from northwest to southeast indicating that
these aquifers are probably recharged from the Nile River. Water samples representing the investigated
groundwater were collected, chemically analyzed and evaluated.