Groundwater Modeling to Assist in Designing a Dewatering System for the Protection of Egyptian Antiquities
Presented on Monday, April 29, 2013
Buvana Ramaswamy, PG1, Robert Fitzgerald, PE1, Henning Moe2 and Thomas Nichols, P.E.3, (1)CDM Smith, Cambridge, MA, (2)CDM Smith, Galway, Ireland, (3)CDM Smith, Cairo, Egypt
The construction of the Aswan High Dam on the Nile River in upper Egypt four decades ago enabled a change from the historic flooding-draining annual cycle to perennial irrigation. Before the High Dam was built, the Nile floods not only brought nutrient-rich silt to the fields, they also leached away accumulated salts from the floodplain. After construction of the High Dam, farmers soon found that they had to apply more water to wash the accumulated salts into the ground below the root zone to maintain production levels. This has caused a rise in the water table resulting in waterlogged soils in some locations.
In addition to their severe adverse impacts on irrigated agriculture, waterlogging and salinization are also causing extensive damage to the Pharaonic monuments, temples, and statuary in the City of Luxor. The antiquities are threatened by the increase in salinity of the groundwater contacting their foundations.
To protect these antiquities from further deterioration, the Government of Egypt, through its implementing agency, the National Organization for Potable Water and Sanitary Drainage; the owner of the antiquities, the Supreme Council of Antiquities; and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have undertaken a project to lower the groundwater levels at antiquity sites on the West Bank of the Nile River. CDM Smith has developed a 3-dimentional DYNFLOW groundwater model to assist in the design of the dewatering system, which includes about 4 kilometers of drainage canals and relief wells to protect four significant Luxor monuments.
Since the 2009 modeling effort, the recommended dewatering system has been constructed and has achieved target drawdowns. CDM Smith is currently assisting with a similar study at the Temple of Horus in Edfu, located on the West Bank of the Nile downstream of Luxor.
Buvana Ramaswamy, PG
CDM Smith, Cambridge, MA
Buvana Ramaswamy has over 20 years of experience in environmental science and water resources work including groundwater modeling, fate and transport modeling and analysis, wastewater management and reuse studies, environmental monitoring at landfills and hazardous waste sites, statistical analysis of groundwater data, and GIS and database development.
Robert Fitzgerald, PE
CDM Smith, Cambridge, MA
Robert H. Fitzgerald is a Senior Groundwater Modeler who has been responsible for numerous studies of groundwater flow and dissolved and separate phase contaminant transport in aquifers. Fitzgerald also has extensive experience in hydrology, hydraulics, and water resources management, emphasizing the application of computer simulation models. He has been responsible for the use of models in analyzing and developing programs for groundwater management and remediation, flood alleviation, reservoir yield augmentation, and water quality assessment.
Henning Moe
CDM Smith, Galway, Ireland
With 20 years of experience as a hydrogeologist, Mr. Moe's experience spans a wide range of practical applications, from village-scale groundwater development in East Africa to regional-scale water resources exploration and management in the Middle East. His primary areas of expertise are water resources planning and management, as well as the application of numerical flow and transport modeling. He has also been deeply involved in Ireland’s implementation of the EU WFD, including efforts on the national groundwater monitoring network that is being established across Ireland.
Thomas Nichols, P.E.
CDM Smith, Cairo, Egypt
Mr. Nichols has 32 years experience in the field of geotechnical engineering. He has managed geotechnical and materials testing offices both in the U.S. and overseas. Mr. Nichols has professional experience in geotechnical, hydrogeological, geoenvironmental, and dam engineering services. His extensive experience includes: geotechnical investigations and design recommendations for roadways and pavements, pipelines, landfills, waterfront structures, foundations for water and wastewater treatment plants, commercial buildings, reservoirs and dams, soft ground improvements, and sinkhole investigations.
