Riverbank filtration for sustainable water supply: application to a large-scale facility on the Nile River

Riverbank filtration (RBF) is an efficient and low-cost natural alternative technology for water supply application in which surface water contaminants are removed or degraded as the infiltrating water moves from the river/lake to the pumping wells. The removal or degradation of contaminants is a combination of physicochemical and biological processes. For more than 100 years, RBF has been used in Europe for public and industrial water supply along Rhine, Elbe, and Danube rivers. This paper presents an investigation of a full-scale RBF plant located in Upper Egypt as section of Nile valley to produce drinking water. The studied plant is constructed in 2004 to supply potable water for Sidfa city (30,000 residents), Assiut Governorate. It consists of 6 vertical wells, each about 60 m deep, with distance about 30 m from the west bank of Nile. Water samples from Nile as induced surface water, from background groundwater, and from production wellfield were collected and analyzed at three discrete events. Quality measurements of physical, chemical, and microbiological characteristics were obtained. Comparison of produced water with surface and background natural groundwater for the investigated plant has proven the effectiveness of RBF technique for potable water supply in Upper Egypt. Physicochemical and microbiological characteristics of the produced water are better than the allowable standards for drinking purposes. The results prove the implementation of RBF treatment method for water supply in Nile valley.