Multilateral Working Group on Water Resources
Water Data Banks Project
Entry from Directory of Selected Israeli Water-related Projects
| NOTE: It is recommend that all information posted here be checked with primary sources before use. |
| TITLE: | A hydrogeological model of Lake Kinneret and the regional aquifers |
|---|---|
| PROBLEM: | Lake Kinneret delivers 600 million cubic meters of water per annum. In spite of the diverted saline springs around the lake, the salinity of its water is still too high for both agriculture and artificial replenishment of the coastal aquifer. Any strategy for reducing the salinity of the lake requires an understanding of the mechanism of salinization. Previous studies led to the conclusion that the source of salinity are brines. As to the mechanism of salinization two different types of driving forces have been suggested. One theory assumes that a high pressure in deep strata lifts the brines up to the surface of the ground. The other theory suggests that the brines are stagnant, but their salt is washed away by fresh groundwater from surrounding aquifers. The two theories lead to opposite conclusions with respect to the ways of reducing the salinity of the lake. |
| OBJECTIVES: | Development of a comprehensive hydrogeologic model which can explain the relationships between the salinity of the lake and its sources. |
| APPROACH: | The study will consist of three steps. The first step will include the development of a conceptual model to explain the discharge of salt around the lake and in the rift valley and the relationships between discharge and salinity in the different springs. The next steps will include application of the OILGEN model which has had a widespread and successful use in understanding the behavior of large, heterogeneous and anisotropic hydrogeologic systems. The OILGEN model, which can solve simultaneously the equations of flow, heat transport and transport of solutes, under the conditions of the natural system, will be used in the second step for identifying the patterns of flow and solute transport, and - in the third step - for testing the effectiveness of different strategies in reducing the salinity of the water in the lake. |
| BEGINNING DATE: | 1.5.1996 |
| ENDING DATE: | 1.5.1998 |
| COMMENTS ON DATES: | |
| CURRENT PROGRESS OR INTERIM RESULTS: | |
| PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR NAME: | Haim Gwirtzman |
| ADDRESS: | Hebrew University, Earth Science Institute, Givat Ram, Jerusalem 91904 |
| TELEPHONE: | 972-2-6584912 |
| TELEFAX: | 972-2-662581 |
| EMAIL: |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |