ABSTRACT
One of the major challenges for the Egyptian Ministry of Public Works and Water Resources is the need for optimal development and management of its water resources. The increasing population in combination with the need to develop the vast desert area have stressed the need for water conservation. This can be achieved through various means including the application of artificial recharge of groundwater. The Research Institute for Groundwater has constructed an experimental infiltration basin in the fringes of the Western Delta (Bustan Extension Area). Three infiltration tests in 1996 using Nile Water, have shown that in the specific conditions of this area, moderate infiltration rates (about 30–15 cm/day) can be obtained during the first 15–20 days of the infiltration process. If no serious clogging occurs, final infiltration rates are in the range of 10–12 cm/day).
In this paper the experiments at El Bustan Extension Area are evaluated It can be concluded that the first tests with basin recharge showed its technical feasibility, especially when taking into account that the subsoil conditions in Bustan Extension Area are not the most favorable ones due to presence of clay, loam and calcrete layers in the subsoil.
