Dallol Area Groundwater Initial Assessment Project
Project Overview
Client: Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia - Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Energy
Contract Date: December 19, 2012
Location: Dallol Area, Afar National Regional State, Ethiopia
Contractor: Water Works Design and Supervision Enterprise (Subcontracted to RAJ Mineral & Exploration Services)
Project Duration: February 2012 - August 2013 (extended from original 6-month schedule)
Project Objectives
- Evaluate groundwater potential in Musley and adjacent fan areas
- Understand aquifer productivity and water quality variations
- Acquire subsurface data to calibrate geophysical investigation results
- Obtain aquifer parameters through test well drilling
Test Well Drilling Summary
Well ID | Location | Depth (m) | Static Water Level (m) | Yield (l/s) | Water Quality |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
DTW-01 | Gehertu Fan | 189 | 99.59 | 44 | Fresh (high sulfate) |
DTW-02 | Gehertu Fan | 223 | 144.86 | 10 | Brackish |
DTW-03 | North Gehertu | 91 | 43.3 | 60 | Brackish |
DTW-04 | Asabuye Fan | 261 | 132.8 | 10 | Brackish |
DTW-05 | Musley Behemi | 152 | 45.19 | 6 | Fresh |
DTW-10 | Musley Fan | 130 | 79.28 | 50 | Good quality |
Key Findings
- Test wells were drilled in major fan areas (Asabuye, Musley, Gehertu, Bekerti, Saba)
- Depths ranged from 91m to 261m depending on fresh/salt water interface and fan thickness
- Highest yields found in Gehertu and Musley fans (DTW-01: 44 l/s, DTW-03: 60 l/s, DTW-10: 50 l/s)
- Water quality varies from fresh to brackish, with some wells showing high sulfate content
- Aquifers consist of gravel, coarse sand, and weathered limestone formations
Methodology
Drilling and Construction
- Mud rotary drilling system used throughout
- Initial 6m drilled with 20" bit, 17" steel surface casing installed
- Continued with 14½" bit to ~150m, then 10" bit to final depth
- PVC casings installed (10" and 6" diameters)
- Gravel packing with 6-9mm washed river gravel
Data Collection
- Lithologic logging at 2m intervals
- Borehole geophysical logging (resistivity, gamma, porosity, conductivity, caliper, temperature)
- Electrical conductivity and temperature measurements during drilling
- Pumping tests (preliminary, constant rate, recovery)
- Water quality analysis
- Borehole camera inspection
Conclusions and Recommendations
- Gehertu fan shows good potential for additional wells for solution mining
- Water in some wells requires treatment for drinking due to high sulfate content
- Pump positions recommended at ~100m depth for optimal performance
- Further investigation recommended in high-yield areas