Water and Irrigation Management

Water and Irrigation Management

Spatial Analysis of Suitable Managed Aquifer Recharge Areas Using Overlaying of Layers method: Case of Hashtgerd Study Area Aquifer

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
S. Mohammad Mahdi Abbasi
Hamed Ketabchi
Department of Water Engineering and Management, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
10.22059/jwim.2025.385701.1190
Abstract
The increasing exploitation of water resources due to population growth along with climate change necessitates a series of appropriate management measures to address water challenges. Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) could serve as a promising solution. The first step of managed aquifer recharge is finding suitable locations for its implementation. In this research by using the overlaying of layers method in Geographic Information System (GIS), flood spreading areas as a managed aquifer recharge method were examined. Hashtgerd study area aquifer was chosen. The selected layers for this study include drainage density, distance from wells, slope, soil texture, land use, lineament density, groundwater depth, geology, geomorphology, runoff height, electrical conductivity, and transmissivity. Sensitivity analysis was conducted to weight these information layers. The weighting method was also compared with the case where all the layers had equal weights. The results indicate that according to the weighting method used 1 and 13 percent of areas were in highly suitable and suitable, 43 percent in moderate, and 41 and 2 percent in unsuitable and highly unsuitable classes. Northern, north-eastern, and a small part of the south-western areas of the aquifer are the most suitable for MAR implementation.
Keywords
Hashtgerd Aquifer
Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR)
Overlaying of Information Layers
Suitable Areas
Subjects
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Water and Irrigation Management
Volume 15, Issue 1
Spring 2025
Pages 1-18