A Development and Validation Process for Evaluation Potential to Pollution in Astaneh-Kouchesfan Plain, Sefīd-Rūd Basin, North of Iran

Astaneh-Kouchesfahan Plain is one of the most important water resource systems in Sefīd-Rūd Basin, north of Iran. In the study, the groundwater potential to pollution was evaluated for Astaneh-Kouchesfahan Plain using GIS DRASTIC model. The assessment of intrinsic vulnerability to pollution using DRASTIC model shows that low, moderate, high and very high groundwater vulnerability risk zones cover around 12, 52, 28 and 8% of study area, respectively. Then, a solute transport model of the aquifer has been developed and calibrated using MT3D. The final results confirms that correlation between solute transport model and DRASTIC vulnerability model is good and developed model can be considered as effective tools for evaluating alternative options for the management of groundwater resources.

Keywords:

Aquifer vulnerability , DRASTIC model , Groundwater pollution , Sefīd-Rūd Basin , Iran , Model validation , Numerical modeling