Delineating capture zone of the production wells in Abarkooh aquifer (central Iran) using WhAEM model and statistical method of multivariate regression

Groundwater is the most common source of water in many places especially arid regions. The quality of this valuable resource is highly important for human health. One of the essential topics in groundwater management is the area surrounding a pumping well from which groundwater is extracted. The extent of this area namely as capture zone or wellhead protection area, generally depends on factors such as the pumping rate, hydraulic conductivity, and well depth. In this research, the capture zones of 575 production wells in Abarkooh plain, located in Yazd province at central Iran, are calculated using WhAEM model for a travel time of 10-year, considering groundwater hydraulic gradient, hydraulic conductivity, recharge and aquifer thickness parameters. Furthermore, for the first time, a general equation of capture zone was developed using multivariate statistical regression method, which is based on the results obtained from WhAEM. The capture zones calculated by the new developed equation are relatively correlated with the results simulated by the WhAEM model with the correlation coefficient of about 51%. As the input parameters for the capture zone analysis are changing over time, the new developed equation by multivariate regression method can help to calculate the capture zone more effective and quicker. The calculated capture zones are essential for protecting groundwater resources, applying in remediation actions in the case of groundwater pollution.