Heinz Hötzl

• Professor emeritus, Dr.
• Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

Wadi Ishe pilot project is a trial project set to illustrate the recharge of runoff and storage in an artificial groundwater reservoir to minimize evaporation losses and as a substitute of water supply for rural arid areas that could be used for stock watering and some agricultural activities. The HEC-Hydrologic modeling System was used to estimate...

The Lower Jordan Valley in the Middle East comprises parts of Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Territories and is amongst the water scarcest regions worldwide. As the average water availability per person is below 150 m³/year, this region is facing absolute water scarcity. The water resource systems are overexploited and subject to further stress...

The aim of the present research is to study the occurrence of aquatic organisms in running surface water springs, creeks, rivers and stream. Water covers extending from the Zerqa River in the North to Mujib River in the South were sampled for animals and plants alongside, the quality of the water is characterized, regarding its temperature, conduct...

Many different species of the aquatic fauna and flora found in Jordan were encountered which can be utilized in characterizing the quality of the water. Animals and plants in springs, creeks/rivers and ponds were studied as indicators of water quality. The aquatic biota (fauna and flora) can be used effectively as bioindicators of water health (Ros...

Storm-water harvesting and storage via managed aquifer recharge (MAR) is a promising approach to combat water scarcity in semi-arid regions, but poses a challenge for karst aquifers and regions with highly variable water availability. The infiltration of low-mineralized surface water and its impact on highly mineralized groundwater of a karst aquif...

The closed basin of the Lower Jordan Valley with the Dead Sea as final sink features high evapotranspiration rates and almost complete reuse of treated wastewater for irrigation farming. This study focuses on the water transfer schemes and the presence, spreading, and potential accumulation of pharmaceutical residues in the local water resources ba...

An electrical resistivity and electromagnetic emission survey was carried out involving the use of vertical electrical soundings (VES) and natural pulse electromagnetic field of the earth (NPEMFE). The use of this new methodology managed to detect the fracture flow system rupture zones in the underground, also answered the questions about the defer...

The closed basin of the Lower Jordan Valley with the Dead Sea as final sink features high evapotranspiration rates and almost complete reuse of treated wastewater for irrigation farming. This study focuses on the water transfer schemes and the presence, spreading, and potential accumulation of pharmaceutical residues in the local water resources ba...

This study investigates the potential use of treated wastewater (TWW), blended with fresh water, for irrigated agriculture in the Jordan Valley (JV). A random sample of 401 farmers was asked if they would accept TWW, their willingness to pay (WTP) and the reasons behind these decisions. Almost all the farmers accept TWW and more than 55 % of the fa...

Al-Qilt catchment, located east of both the Ramallah and Jerusalem districts is strongly influenced by waste waters discharged from Israeli settlements and Palestinian urban centers. In this research, our aim was to verify the chemical status of the surface sediments from the Al-Qilt catchment during 2008/2009. For this purpose, 36 surface sediment...

Water in Jordan is scarce, yet key to its economic development. A fast growing population and expanding agricultural sector create demands for new water resources. We present a Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) model for the Jordan Valley (JV) to evaluate alternative water supply options. WEAP accommodates the extensive primary and secondary spa...

Key words: managed artifi cial recharge, karst aquifer, hydrogeology Groundwater is the main fresh water resource in Abstract: Jordan but is limited in quantity and not always suffi cient in quality. Natural recharge takes place by infi ltration from rainwater or streams. Rare but intensive rainfall events can generate fast runoff in the mountains...

This paper investigates the impact of large scale Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) research programs in trans-boundary environments at the example of the complex water resources of the Lower Jordan River Basin (LJRB). Under the current figures of demand growth, large scale desalination is the paradigm to satisfy the rising regional dema...

Pressing water scarcity in Jordan rapidly increases the demands of marginal water resources for the agricultural sector. Water management studies reveal that no single source could fully solve the nation’s water shortage and many integrated actions are needed to ensure water availability, suitability and sustainability. Yet, among these options tre...

In particular in arid regions the reuse of waste water and aquifer recharge is an important issue. Elimination of persistent emerging pollutants represents a key factor in integrated water resources management, and identifying suitable treatment processes to eliminate such compounds becomes inevitably necessary. It is the objective of this study (1...

The overall aim of SMART is the development of a transferable approach for an integrated water resources management (IWRM) in semi-arid regions with water shortage. The main idea of SMART is to include all water resources of the Lower Jordan River, namely groundwater, wastewater, saline water, and flood water into an integrated management concept....

Journal of Water Resource and Protection, 2011, 3, ** doi:10.4236/jwarp.2011.33024 Published Online 3 2011 (http://www.scirp.org/journal/jwarp) Copyright © 2011 SciRes. JWARP Assessment of Artificial Recharge Test in Jeftlik – Faria Area, West Bank Marwan Ghanem1*, Amer Marei2, Heinz Hoetzl3, Leif Wolf3, Wasim Ali3, Amjad Assi1 1Palestinian Hydrolo...

At the port area of the river Rhine near Karlsruhe (SW-Germany) the department of municipal waste (AfA) of Karlsruhe maintains a sanitary landfill with an alternative surface sealing system according to the TA-Si for securing and restoration purposes. The system was realized in the form of an enforced mineral clay liner with underlying capillary ba...

A synthesis of isotope hydrological (2H, 3H, 18O, 13C, 14C, 3He, 4He) and hydrogeochemical tools was used to analyze flow regimes and their time scales, to determine recharge conditions, and to describe the regional-scale hydrogeochemical evolution of groundwater from the Triassic Ntane Sandstone Aquifer between Serowe and Orapa in the Kalahari of...

A sensitive and reliable continuous detection method for fluorescent microspheres using a laboratory spectrofluorometer and a micro-flow-through-cell with a volume of 100 A mu L was developed and first applied for column testing using three different sizes of fluorescent microspheres (0.2, 1 and 3 A mu m) and solute fluorescent tracers. Calibration...

The vulnerability of four European aquifers with different hydrogeological and climatic characteristics was evaluated using the COP method. The results obtained were statistically analyzed by determination coefficients to measure which factor has greater importance in the vulnerability index. Furthermore, a new parameter has been designed to measur...

Climate change is a big environmental challenge facing the world today. The Middle East region is especially vulnerable to climate change because of its already dry conditions and the limited water availability. With increased heat and increased evaporation, the problem may become even worse under global warming and there may be severe problems for...

Natural saline water, waste water, and irrigation return flow endanger the groundwater aquifers in the Rift. In the long run this will ruin the socio-economic backbone of the settlements in the area. Sustainability of the water resources will only be achieved when the process of water replenishment and its underground flow is understood and water e...

GIS based hydrosystem model for the Jericho Plain, Palestine

The study area is located in the central part of Jordan (Fig. 3.4.2-1) extending from the Dead Sea in the west to the Jiza region in the east. It covers Wadi Waleh (northern third of Wadi Mujib groundwater catchment) and Wadi Zarqa Ma'in sub-catchments with an area of about 2,300 km2 (refer to Chap. 3.4.1). The area consists of two aquifer systems,...

Abstract: Pressing water scarcity in Jordan increasingly increased the demands to the use of marginal water for agriculture, which the treated wastewater will be most prominent among them. Water management studies reveal that no single source could fully solve the nation's water shortage and many integrated actions are needed to ensure water availa...

Karstgrundwasserleiter bilden in vielen Ländern der Erde eine wichtige Basis für die Trinkwasserversorgung. Durch das spezifische hydrogeologische Abflussverhalten ergeben sich Besonderheiten, die sowohl bei der Fassung als auch beim Schutz von Karstwässern zu beachten sind. Aufgrund der Infiltrationsbedingungen und der weitlumigen unterirdischen W...

Based on the results on gross chemical compositions as displayed by spider patterns (Chap. 3.1.1), on rare earth element distribution patterns and on stable isotopes of water (Chap. 3.1.2), a synthesis is attempted for the regions of the surroundings of Lake Tiberias, the lower Jordan Valley, the surroundings of the Dead Sea, and the Arava Valley....

Natural saline water, waste water, and irrigation return flow endanger the groundwater aquifers in the Rift. In the long run this will ruin the socio-economic backbone of the settlements in the area. Sustainability of the water resources will only be achieved when the process of water replenishment and its underground flow is understood and water e...

Though in a first view the general geomorphologic and geological characteristics of the escarpments on both side of the Jordan Rift Valley and the Dead Sea show many similarities, the hydrogeologic conditions differ due to the lithologic variety of the Cretaceous rock-sequences. The deeply lowered Dead Sea forms the base level for the mountain rang...

The occurrence of this shallow aquifer is limited to a small area in the eastern part of the West Bank (Fig. 3.3.1-1). Although this aquifer is of major importance, it has neither been described nor characterized elsewhere. The aim of this study was to develop a detailed hydrogeological understanding of this local aquifer and its significance for t...

Karst aquifers provide an important basis forthe supply of the potable water in many countries of the world. Owing to the hydrogeologic characteristics specific conditions have to be considered in connection with the capture and protection of karst water resources. Due to the fast infiltration and transport processes because of wide opened water pa...

This study summarizes an investigation in the Marsaba-Feshkha area with the aim of improving exploitation strategies of groundwater resources. Natural discharges of the catchment are the Feshkha springs (Fig.3.3.2-1). The 3-D hydrogeological model developed in the study area allows the identification of groundwater flow patterns (Fig.3.3.2-1), test...

Hydrology and Hydrogéology of Feije Zagora

Since 1979, the Merdingen test site, located in the alluvial deposits of the Upper Rhine Graben, has been used for tracer tests using fluorescent dyes, heavy metals, microorganisms, microspheres and other tracers. In 1999, the storm Lothar badly affected the test site and significantly changed the vegetation cover. The previously forested area is n...

Though nitrate enrichment in groundwater is a worldwide phenomenon and mainly related to human impact, processes leading to nitrate enrichment in scarcely inhabited semi-arid regions are not yet well understood. In those regions, elevated nitrate concentrations put additional pressure on the scarce water resources, as they pose a serious health ris...

Abstract In their Resolution 58/217 of 20. December 2000 the United Nations decided within the context of the so-called “Millennium Goals” on the implementation of the International Decade “Water for Life, 2005 – 2015”. The objectives of the Water Decade comprise to halve the number of humans without a safe access to water. The safe access is to p...

The present study was carried out in order to obtain new insights about the supply of the known high discharge freshwater springs in the Ein-Feshka area, about the main groundwater flow paths in that area and about the depth of the freshwater bodies. Furthermore the attention was focused on the detection of brines and saltwater bodies, the estimati...

Abstract of the book Changes to the earth's climate have a direct effect on the global hydrological cycle and hence on water. The rise of temperatures may exacerbate existing water shortages, impair water quality or enhance the frequency and intensity of floods and droughts. In particular countries in the transition zone from wet to dry arid climat...

This chapter focuses on the work done through the I.N.R.G.R.E.F to collect and analyses available information on water resources in Tunisia and the role of groundwater during drought. It presents the quantity and quality of groundwater resources data and the integration of the drought indicator information with groundwater resources. This chapter i...

Bucharest, the capital of Romania, with more than 2 million inhabitants, is considered, after Istanbul, the second- most earthquake-endangered metropolis in Europe. Four major earthquakes with moment-magnitudes between 6.9 and 7.7 hit Bucharest in the last 65 years. All disastrous earthquakes are generated within a small epicentral area - the Vranc...

Due to semi-arid to arid climatic conditions, Jordan has limited groundwater resources. As a result of agricultural activities and untreated wastewater, most of the groundwater in the karstic areas is microbiologically contaminated. Groundwater vulnerability, hazards, and risk intensity were mapped (scale 1:50,000) at a test site near the Jordan Ri...

Vulnerability maps illustrate the potential threat of contaminants to groundwater and can be considered as important tools for land-use planning and related legislation. For karst areas with characteristic preferential infiltration conditions, vulnerability maps are also excellent tools for source and resource protection. However, the resulting qua...

Background, Aim and Scope The urban soil and aquifer system is subject to contamination not only by event-based accidents and spillages but also by the constant emissions from urban drainage systems. Leaky sewer systems, decentralized stormwater infiltration measures or fertilizer application to gardens are omnipresent in the urban soil-water syste...

Groundwater vulnerability assessment schemes are used for the estimation of potential groundwater contamination at different scales and on different administrative levels. However, the term vulnerability is not standardized and the available methods are not able to give a unique assessment of vulnerability creating thus uncertainty in the interpret...

Bucharest, the capital of Romania, with more than 2 million inhabitants, is considered, after Istanbul, the second- most earthquake-endangered metropolis in Europe. Four major earthquakes with moment-magnitudes between 6.9 and 7.7 hit Bucharest in the last 65 years. All disastrous earthquakes are generated within a small epicentral area - the Vranc...

This paper provides an overview of current understanding regarding the influence of local hydrogeologic conditions on seismic ground motion. The topic links both, hydrogeology and seismology given that variability in earthquake- induced damage is mainly determined by the local geological and hydrogeological conditions. These conditions, intern infl...

Sulphate and chloride concentrations in the shallow Pleistocene aquifer systems in the lower Jordan valley area indicate a general trend of increasing salinity eastward and southward. This study was conducted in one of the important sub-basins feeding the Pleo-Pleistocene aquifer in the Jericho area in the southern part of the valley using S and O...

Key words: Hydrogeology, Water demand, Jordan Rift Valley Abstract The reasons of the critical water situation in the Jordan Rift Valley are political, social, and other factors. International efforts are needed to satisfy the water demand of the population. Modern water policy including following steps should be adopted to overcome the water sh...

In connection with the geoelectrical investigations to locate leakages in dykes and dams, tests were carried out on a model made of sand in a small channel to measure the electrical streaming potential. By using a PC-computer scanner-system it was possible to record simultaneously the values from 20 platinum electrodes and therefore also the electr...

This study describes the impact of septic tanks on the groundwater quality of the shallow Pleistocene aquifer in Jericho area, Westbank, Palestine. Septic tanks are widely used for storage and disposal of sewage in the populated and agricultural city of Jericho. Routine hydrochemical tests for groundwater quality performed for several years identif...

The European COST action 620 proposed a comprehensive approach to karst groundwater protection, comprising methods of intrinsic and specific vulnerability mapping, validation of vulnerability maps, hazard and risk mapping. This paper presents the first application of all components of this Pan-European Approach to the Sierra de Líbar, a karst hydro...

The management of urban groundwater resources is directly linked to urban water supply and drainage concepts. A proper integration of groundwater into urban water management plans is recommended for long-term planning. The paper describes the development of a new modelling suite which addresses the urban water and solute balance in a holistic way....

By combining a sewer defect database and hydrogeological information, it has been attempted to assess sewer–groundwater interaction at the scale of the city of Rastatt (SW-Germany). Comprehensive hydrochemical samplings, including a series of new marker species, have been conducted in the urban aquifer and used for validation. The iodated X-ray con...

Rising salinity levels is one of the significant signs of water-quality degradation in groundwater. The alluvial Pleistocene wells in the Jericho area, Palestine show high salinity and a high susceptibility to contamination. Future exploitation and management of the water resources under these conditions will require an in-depth understanding of th...

Leaky sewers have to be considered as potential sources for groundwater contamination in urban areas. The medium-sized city of Rastatt in SWGermany with 50,000 inhabitants was subject of a series of investigations on sewer leakage which are summarized and discussed in this paper. Amongst others factors, the degree of pollution depends on the chemic...

Several reflection seismic lines directly north of the Dead Sea shore (eastern side of Jericho basin, in Jordan) were interpreted to analyze the subsurface structure and to trace the intensive deformation in the Dead Sea fault zone there. The seismic data indicate that the Jericho basin could be part of the Dead Sea Basin and its northern end. Comp...

In many alpine karst regions, bacteriological pollution resulting from agriculture is the most important problem in groundwater protection. Colloidal tracers like fluorescent polystyrene microspheres are used to evaluate the hygienic risk for groundwater resources. Different sizes of colloids may be used to simulate the fate and transport of differ...

Numerical models represent a widely used tool for the prediction of flow and transport processes in the subsurface. However, in fractured porous aquifers this possibility is rather limited due to the high structural complexity of the system. Fluid flow in natural fractures usually concentrates along single preferential flow channels making the prec...

Keywords: Jordan Rift Valley, Water Resources, Ground Water. Abstract This paper presents some results of the German, Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian (GIJP) Joint Research project for Water resources evaluation and sustainable utilization of Aquifers in the Jordan Rift Valley funded by the German Ministry for Science and Technology (BMBF) with...

In Europe, large volumes of public water supply come from urban aquifers and so efficient urban water management and decision tools are essential to maintain quality of life both in terms of health, personal freedom and environment. In the United Kingdom, this issue gained increased importance with the last year's low volumes of groundwater repleni...

This book addresses the characterization of flow and transport in porous fractured media from experimental and modeling perspectives. The volume explores porous media problems, from the origin of the present natural porous structures, to their characterization, and various flow and transport phenomena that exist within the porous media. Examples ar...

The field-block scale represents the largest scale which is investigated experimentally in this context. The installation of an in-situ test site allows all experimental approaches to be employed on the field-block scale in a certain area of the real aquifer. In this manner, it becomes possible to check the scale- dependence and assignability of co...