لخّصلي

CONCLUSIONS
The Tenth of Ramadan City is a new settlement in Egypt, located along Cairo-Ismailia Desert Road with a general slope towards the north. More than 1200 industries have been established since the city was found in the early eighties. All types of wastewater including domestic, agricultural and industrial are collected and disposed into three oxidation ponds northeast of the city. The local hydrogeological and hydrochemical investigations carried out in the area of study revealed that:

1. The Tenth of Ramadan City area is dominated by sedimentary succession ranging in age from Late Cretaceous to Quaternary.


2. The Pleistocene deposits are the main water bearing formation in the studied area. It made up of graded sand and gravel intercalated with thin clay lenses. The aquifer is generally unconfined with thickness varies from 75 m (in the south) to 200 m (towards the north).


3. The depth to groundwater in the aquifer varies between 58 m and 70 m, while the groundwater level ranges from +15 m to +19 m and the groundwater flows is directed towards the northeast direction


4. The Pleistocene aquifer is mainly recharged by seepage from Ismailia Canal, the return flow after irrigation in the agricultural lands, the replenishment from the desert wadies and seepage from the main Nile Delta aquifer. However, another local source of recharge is the infiltration from the nearby oxidation ponds. The groundwater discharge takes place mainly through groundwater extraction at a well field northwest of the city.


5. The domestic, agricultural and industrial wastewater of the city has been collected and disposed into three oxidation ponds with an amount reaches about 70,000 m/day. The inflow to the ponds is sometimes higher than its capacity, this resulting in overflow in the neighborhood.


6. The chemical analysis of water samples collected form the area of study reflects an accumulation of different chemical constituents in oxidation ponds and the groundwater of the Pleistocene aquifer.


7. In drinking well (No.1), the TDS and the concentration of major ions, minor ions and the concentration of trace elements and volatile organic compounds do not exceed the international limits of drinking water. However, the groundwater in other productive wells should be treated before using.


8. The existence of abnormal concentrations of iron, manganese, lead, zinc, nickel and chromium in the groundwater of the Pleistocene aquifer reflects the effect of oxidation ponds as a recharging source to the Pleistocene aquifer particularly at high pumping rates.


9. The oxidation ponds and its neighborhood represent a high pollution risk zone while the city's well field represents a moderate zone.


10. As the distance from oxidation ponds increases, the concentration of trace elements in the groundwater of the Pleistocene aquifer will be decrease.
    I1. The drilling of any new productive wells in the Tenth of Ramadan City should be under control particularly with respect to location from pollution resources (oxidation ponds).


11. In the area of study, factories should not discharge their wastewater in oxidation ponds without the known primary treatment