Abstract
The present paper has focused on estimation of the impact of artificial recharge wells on groundwater. The area under study was Buraydah, Qassim, Saudi Arabia. Groundwater modeling has been done using MODFLOW. Data regarding runoff was collected for existing six ponds in Buraydah. About 34 pumping wells lie in the area under study. Pumping rates and groundwater levels for certain time period were collected for these wells. The other related climatic and hydrologic data were collected from relevant authorities like Municipal Department of Buraydah. Runoff from rain in the area was calculated by an empirical equation. As stated above, the runoff from rain drains into six ponds for the whole city of Buraydah and its surroundings. One injection well in every one of six ponds was taken for modeling the recharge to groundwater. The rate of recharge was estimated for each of the six recharge wells. Extensive modeling was done to study the effect of recharging rain water on Saq Aquifer for different options of water supply pumping. The results of the study will be useful in two ways. Firstly, it will provide appropriate storage facility and recharge of runoff which otherwise is being lost presently; and secondly, it will help in prolonging the life of the aquifer. It is analyzed that the life of the aquifer will be increased by about 3 % due to the proposed recharge wells. The overall improvement in prolonging the life of the aquifer by the recommended strategies will be nearly 36%.