Abstract :
The Water rise phenomenon has affected many areas in the world, resulting in a widespread andcostly damage to property and people. In recognition of the potential negative impacts imposed bythis phenomenon, a study on the management of water table rise around Booster Station 140 inBurgan Oil Field was conducted. A topographic survey to measure the ground surface elevationand the UTM coordinates in an area of about 25 km2 inside Burgan Oil Field was completed. Atotal of 4 production wells with 40-m depth, 4 monitoring wells with depths between 35 and 45m, in addition to one Dammam Formation monitoring well with 120-m depth were drilled, logged, designed, constructed and developed. These wells were utilized for soil sampling, groundwater sampling and water level determination. Two pumping and recovery tests of 48-h duration, using one pumping well and nine observation wells in each test, were conducted. Water samples collected from freshwater, wastewater and fire station water networks, the recreation lake and the abandoned quarry along with 14 groundwater samples collected from the 9 newly drilled wells and the 5 existing wells were analyzed in the appropriate laboratories for physical, chemical, biological and isotopic analyses. Results of the topographic survey and pumping tests data, groundwater levels and quality were evaluated and utilized in a three-dimensional finite element groundwater flow model. No major source of water was that can cause the rise in water level was found. However, the rise of the groundwater in the vicinity of the study area can be attributed to the shallow depth to groundwater (less than 2 m); upward seepage from Dammam Formation water to the subsurface; location of the study area in a relatively low land surrounded by hilly areas; interruption of the natural evaporation system; and the infiltration of rainfall and water from the overflow of the nearby disposal pit. It was recommended to pump from the four production wells at a rate of 40 gpm per well to reduce the water table to an average depth of 4.5 m below BS-140. The pumped water can be re used for several purposes after proper treatment methods.
