Sources of Salinity and Suitability for Irrigation and Drinking Use of the Groundwater of Northwest of ElMinia, Upper Egypt

The present work is devoted to determine sources of groundwater salinity and suitability of its use for irrigation and drinking in northwest ElMinia, Upper Egypt. This information is important for sustainable and reliable development of the groundwater resources. A hydrochemical study using results of major ions and trace elements analysis of 43 groundwater samples collected from the study area have been conducted in this work. The TDS and major ionic concentrations vary in considerably wide ranges, these increase westward and northward under effect of rock minerals dissolution and upward leakage of saline water. The water types, ionic orders, hypothetical salts combination, multivariate analysis and ions / ions relations reflect a high stage of salinity development with (SO42-, Cl-/Na+, Ca2+) hydrochemical facies in 80% of the samples, the rest (20%) are less developed with higher HCO3 on expense of SO4. The groundwater salinity in the study area is developed under effects of rock minerals dissolution (halite, calcite, dolomite, and gypsum), cation exchange and mixing waters between aquifers. The hazards of increasing salinity and major ions / trace elements toxicity for groundwater use in irrigation and drinking have been evaluated using hydrochemical indexes and standard classifications.