Groundwater Quality Assessment of Quaternary Aquifer, Wadi Qena Basin, Eastern Desert, Egypt

The present study focused on assessing the quality of groundwater of the Quaternary aquifer in Wadi
Qena Basin to deduce its suitability for different purposes according to the World Health Organization and
Egyptian standards. Groundwater samples are collected from twenty three water points and analyzed to
determine physicochemical parameters. Two effective techniques are used to develop the assessment of
groundwater quality in the concerned aquifer; Groundwater Quality Information Mapping and Water
Quality Index Estimation and mapping. Geographic Information System (GIS) was used to establish the
integration of attribute data base and spatial data base for the studied aquifer. Therefore, by using GIS
Tools; spatial interpolation Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) as well as Reclassify and Weight Overlay
methods are carried out to generate Water Quality Information map for the concerned aquifer. The Water
Quality Index (WQI) estimation and mapping is used to generate WQI map by using GIS spatial IDW
method. The obtained maps delineated the groundwater in studied aquifer into zones according to its
suitability for human consumption. These maps revealed congruent results, where most of groundwater in
this aquifer exists in the Not-suitable zone for drinking purposes however; it is suitable for irrigation
purposes. The best sites for groundwater extractions from the Quaternary aquifer in Wadi Qena Basin are
detected at the eastern side of the study area; where the groundwater exists in the Potable zone which
suitable for drinking and human consumption. The spatial data base constructed in GIS technique is
helpful for monitoring and managing groundwater quality of the Quaternary aquifer in the study area.