29. Hydroeconomic Groundwater Model for Managing Multi-salinity Aquifers in Arid Regions

The extreme scarcity of water resources in arid regions necessitates developing effective and adaptive long-term plans that maximize the economic value of these resources. To support these efforts, the author developed the Hydroeconomic Groundwater Model for Arid Regions (HGMAR) which offers an interactive simulation environment for managing scarce groundwater resources. HGMAR estimates the costs and benefits of extracting groundwater from a multi-salinity aquifer system composed of several zones each representing unique hydrogeological characteristics and types of water use. Multi-salinity is represented by modeling the aquifer as a stack of groundwater layers, with a fresh groundwater layer underlain by a brackish groundwater layer, which in turn is underlain a by saline groundwater layer. HGMAR features an interactive user interface that provides access to several hydrogeological and economic parameters to formulate alternative groundwater management schemes and produce projections of groundwater levels and net present values (NPV). The paper presents the application of HGMAR to groundwater resources in Abu Dhabi, UAE.