Identification and Assessment of Potential Environmental Impacts of Cesspits on Selected Groundwater Wells in Tulkarem District using Groundwater Modeling

Abstract Groundwater is the major source of water to the Palestinians. The quality of groundwater may be deteriorated over time due to the cumulative effects of several years of practices. The work of this thesis focused on the identification and assessment of potential impacts of cesspits on groundwater wells in Tulkarm District. A particle-tracking model was developed using MODPATH and different scenarios were worked out in order to delineate the contributing areas of contamination to each well of interest. Results confirm that the cesspits considered as one of the main sources of pollution for many groundwater wells in the study area. A wellhead protection zone was delineated for selected groundwater wells in the study area in order to arrive at effective management plan to minimize the risk of groundwater contamination. Overall, the recommendations call all relevant authorities to assume their responsibilities and to take immediate actions to control an if possible to prevent the groundwater contamination.