Iraqi National Journal of Earth Sciences

Abstract

Fourteen ground water samples were collected from deep wells from Al-Adnanya –Sinjar area. Major hydrochemical parameters were studied to understand the quality of water. The objective of this study is to map the ground water quality of Injana aquifer and to delineate the areal extent of good and poor water. Two types of ground water were recognized in the study area, according to chemical analysis and utilizing the Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA), bicarbonate type and sulphate type, the sulphate type of water is dominant with high concentration of total dissolved solids, total hardness, magnesium and sulphate comparing with bicarbonate type. Mapping results showed that water occur in Telkasab and Al-Kahtanya (poor quality) is unsuitable for drinking, while water occur in Sinjar, Domise, and Rambosy (high quality) desirable for drinking, and water occur in Al-Adnanya and Al-Jazera are not exceeding the maximum permissible limit for drinking. Dissolution of rocks and salts in soil, ion exchange and limited reverse ion exchange in few parts of the area are the main processes controlling the chemistry of ground water. Based on hydrochemical ratio (HCO3/Cl) 71% of the wells were located in recharge zone and 29 % were located in discharge zone.