NUMERICAL MODELING OF THE IMPACT OF OILFIELD EFFLUENT DISPOSAL PITS ON THE GROUNDWATER IN KUWAIT

The groundwater that underlies the disposal pits in and around the oilfields of Kuwait is under threat of pollution from the infiltrations from these pits. In arid Kuwait, where natural water resources of usable quality is very limited, this is a situation that requires immediate attention. Numerical modeling of the effects of leakage from two specific disposal pits on the groundwater in north Kuwait was carried out to assess the extent of the problem. The models were calibrated and validated using data collected from the monitoring wells, drilled adjacent to the pits. The results showed that the threat to the groundwater resources of the area that occurs at comparatively shallow depths (20 – 50 m) in a permeable gravelly aquifer is very real. Immediate discontinuation of the practice has been recommended to the Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) that operates the oilfields of Kuwait. The simulation results have, however, indicated that the damage that has already occurred will persist for a long time even after the discontinuation of the practice.