Shortcomings of the RBF Pilot Site in Dishna, Egypt
Publication: Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 20, Issue 9
Abstract
This work describes the reasons and circumstances concerning why researchers came up short at the Dishna riverbank filtration (RBF) pilot site in Egypt, which—1.5 years after construction—has yet to deliver at least 40% of the bank filtrate. Limited site investigation, intermittent well operation, low pumping rates, and Egyptian drinking water well design regulations have been identified as main reasons for less than 10% bank filtrate. The authors draw on experience and lessons learned to develop recommendations for RBF site investigations and implementation on a limited budget. The investigations require a minimum investment of 20,000 Egyptian pounds and at least 1.5 years’ time per site. A generalized RBF well design is proposed for sites with scarce data or areas where groundwater is of low quality and unsuitable for potable supply.
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the German-Egyptian Research Fund (GERF), the Egyptian Science and Technology Development Fund (STDF), and the German International Bureau (IB) of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF, project EGY 10/052). The authors acknowledge the support of the Holding Company for Water and Waste Water, and thank H. Boernick, Institute of Water Chemistry at Dresden University of Technology, and J. Feller, Division of Chemical Engineering at the Dresden University of Applied Science, for offering their resources in organic and inorganic water analysis. The authors are grateful to T. Voltz for constructive comments and editing the English.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 20 • Issue 9 • September 2015
Copyright
© 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Apr 17, 2014
Accepted: Oct 30, 2014
Published online: Dec 9, 2014
Discussion open until: May 9, 2015
Published in print: Sep 1, 2015
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