SRK was involved in an assessment of the local groundwater system at a site in the central part of the Arabian Shield, KSA.
The project objectives were to (a) investigate the local groundwater regime and use the results to (b) evaluate the potential for potable water supply and (c) undertake groundwater modelling to determine open pit dewatering requirements.
SRK hydrogeologists initially reviewed and interpreted remote sensing data and produced a GIS database to identify potential target sites for a geophysical survey and hydrogeological testing.
A subsequent on-the-ground hydrocensus study was performed to map the local geology and to identify surface water features and existing groundwater users.
The data collected were used to construct multiple hydrogeological conceptual models for each of the different mine sites to identify key aquifers that were subsequently characterised by SRK hydrogeologists through well siting and design, drilling supervision, pumping tests and water quality sample collection.
The results of the desk- and field-based investigations were used to develop robust conceptual and numerical groundwater models for the sites. These models were used to evaluate mine water supply potential, to simulate pit dewatering and identify potential impacts of pit dewatering on local Bedouin water wells.
