Hydrogeological Assessment of The Aquifers in Chamchamal Sub-Basin / Iraq

Chamchamal sub-basin is located in the northeastern part of Iraq, within the Sulaimani governorate. The study area covers about (285) Km2. Most of the study area is an elevated area, ranging between (511-1216) m above sea level. Fatha, Injana, Mukdadiya, Bai Hassan, and Quaternary deposits are the main geological units in the Chamchamal sub-basin. The current study intends to investigate groundwater storage and estimate the hydraulic characteristics of the primary aquifers within the study area. A pumping test was conducted in five wells distributed to cover the study area. The saturation thickness of the studied aquifers ranges from (7 to 64) m. The hydraulic conductivity values varied from (0.0326-16.890) m/day, while the transmissivity value ranged between (0.3-337.8) m2/day. The storage coefficient values were ranged between (0.001-0.1272). The aquifer types are semi-confined, semi-unconfined, and unconfined based on the results of the hydraulic characteristics (T, K, Sc), and the study area has been classified as heterogeneous and anisotropy. The flow net map was generated by monitoring groundwater depths from 50 wells within the study area. The water table depths range from (8 to 140) m below the ground surface. The groundwater flow map for the study area indicates that the water moves from the northwest and northeast of the sub-basin to the south basin similar to the relief of the study area, then drains for the Shiwasoor stream. Chamchamal sub-basin is one of the secondary hydrogeological basins of the Al- Adhaim Basin, which is one of the main tributaries of the Tigris River.