Recent Project Highlight

Project:

Groundwater Monitoring Project, 1998 - 2000

Client:

Department of Water Affairs, Gaborone, Botswana

Duration:

2 years

Team Leader:

Lucas Kingston

Project Team:

The 22-person team consisted of ground-water modellers, hydrogeologists, GIS experts, a database programmer, GPS surveyors, a public relations officer, a legal advisor, and field technicians.

Background

Botswana has a semi-arid climate with an average annual rainfall of 400 mm, a potential evapotranspiration rate of approximately 2000 mm/yr, and frequent episodes of drought. The flat topography over most of the country makes it difficult to find suitable dam sites to store rainfall. Therefore, most communities and industries in the country depend on groundwater for supply. Groundwater is and will continue to be the most important water resource for the country.

As the resource is limited and susceptible to contamination, it must be properly used, conserved, and protected. The Department of Water Affairs developed the Groundwater Monitoring Project to develop an integrated approach to sustainable groundwater use by improving wellfield monitoring, data handling and overall management of the resource.

Specific Project Goals

  • Compile, collate, and assess existing monitoring data
  • Survey boreholes in wellfield areas using high precision GPS
  • Produce hydrogeological maps of wellfield areas using GIS
  • Produce groundwater contour maps
  • Produce time series plots of monitoring data
  • Evaluate existing pump test data
  • Develop groundwater models for those wellfields not previously modelled using PMWIN
  • Assess aquifer response to various abstraction scenarios
  • Optimise borehole and wellfield abstraction rates and recommend improvements
  • Convert DWA's aquifer parameter estimation program into a Windows application
  • Improve the storage, handling, retrieval, and presentation functionality of DWA's wellfield monitoring program
  • Recommend improvements necessary in data collection techniques and equipment, handling, and storage procedures at the district and central level
  • Establish monitoring systems for select district wellfields and springs
  • Review existing legislation regarding groundwater monitoring and recommend improvements if necessary
  • Train field and technical staff on all aspects of the project

Outcome

The project, which generated approximately 1M US$ in professional fees, was completed on time and within budget. The project recommendations are currently being implemented by the Botswana Government.