Groundwater Investigation in the Iraqi Western Desert (Al-Mat Area) Using Nuclear Technique

Four boreholes were drilled in the Iraqi Western Desert area, and many isotope injection experiments were carried out to determine the effective porosity, permeability, transmissibility, storage coefficient, and velocity of the underground water flow using ¹³¹I as a radioactive tracer. The results indicate that the critical hydrological parameters (effective porosity, permeability, transmissibility, and storage coefficient) of the aquifer and the quantity of the water are adequate to provide sufficient high-quality water suitable for economic utilization. The radioactive technique used in drawdown for permeability, transmissibility, and storage coefficient measurements is specific and gave good results, whereas the classical method might be subject to technical operation errors.