Assessment of groundwater quality in Bahariya Oasis, Western Desert, Egypt

Groundwater quality and the overall rate of abstraction from the Nubian sandstone aquifer system in the Bahariya Oasis was assessed to determine whether the resource was of a suitable quality for its current use and that that the current usage is sustainable. The hydrochemical analysis of 84 representative groundwater wells was carried out to determine the main hydrochemical characters, genesis and evaluation of the groundwater quality for different uses. The physical and chemical characteristics were measured for the groundwater according to standard methods, such as temperature, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), pH, major anions and cations, and heavy metals such as iron, manganese and zinc. The average values of the EC, TDS, pH, major cations and anions did not exceed the recommended limits for drinking water set by the World Health Organization (WHO). Most of the three aquifer zones contain freshwater with an average TDS content of 286 mg/l. Manganese concentrations exceed the recommended WHO drinking water limit.