Scientific Approach & Methodology for Implementing the Activities of Sarida – Natouf Watershed Cluster

Natural resources management is the processes, procedures and actions of taking care along the time of land, water, and biological systems, with a particular focus on how the management affects the quality of life for both present and future generations. It’s about the long-term implications of actions – thinking about the future and not just about now. For primary producers, natural resource management means taking into account the climate, soils, water, vegetation and organisms when making decisions about the land they manage. The goal is sustainability – balancing social (people and communities), economic (money and jobs) and environmental (land, water, air and living things) factors to make sure that our grandchildren can equally benefit from our natural resources. Watershed management is the study of the relevant characteristics of a watershed aimed at the sustainable distribution of its resources and the process of creating and implementing plans, programs, and projects to sustain and enhance watershed functions that affect the plant, animal, and human communities within a watershed boundary. Features of a watershed that agencies seek to manage include water supply, water quality, drainage, storm water runoff, water rights, and the overall planning and utilization of watersheds. Landowners, land use agencies, storm water management experts, environmental specialists, water use surveyors and communities all play an integral part in watershed management.

Project Components

1. Water quality parameters will include major, minor and trace elements as well as microbiological parameters, especially fecal and total coliforms. All the spring water samples will be analyzed. The spring water samples has be collected manually in 1-Liter high density polyethylene and analyzed for physical parameters of pH, TDS, EC, and T. In the other hand, springs water samples well be collected by 100 ml sterilized glass bottles and analyzed TC and FC parameters. Major Cations (Na⁺, K⁺, Ca⁺² and Mg⁺²) will be analyzed by (ICP), major Anions (NO₃^–, SO₄^-2 and Cl^–) except HCO₃^– will be analyzed by Cooling Ion Analyzer (CIA) while HCO₃^–  by using AOAC titration method. An additional trace elements for springs of Be, Fe, Co, Ba, Pb, Al, Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn and Cd will be analyzed using IMS.
2. Training sessions will include two major training fields the first one is – GIS training course which will cover five training days on advanced topics in understanding and using geographic information systems (GIS). Trainee will learn how to understand remotely sensed imagery as it applies to GIS, use a global positioning system, perform raster analysis, create and analyze three‐dimensional surfaces, visualize geospatial data, perform advanced spatial analysis, 3D Analyst, hydrological and ground water modeling. The lectures will discuss the underlying theory, and how it is implemented in GIS software. The training sessions will give the participants the opportunity to learn for themselves how to put that theory into practice, gaining hands‐on experience with ESRI ArcGIS software, the most popular GIS and an industry standard in many fields. The other training field will cover tow training days of water hydrochemistry using Hydro chemical Software included theoretical part and practical application part.
3. Socio economy study: the socio economy survey will conduct in parallel with the field work through distributing a hard copy of scientific questionnaire including all necessary parameters targeting different levels of the inhabitant within the involved localities inside the watershed. The collected data will be analyzed through using SPSS software, and finally a socio economy report will be delivered.
4. Webpage database: A dynamic web page will be designed included all kind of information and output related to  Sarida technical study , the webpage will also include a dynamic GIS tools and mapping system which have the ability to analyses and making different inquiries to represent all different  data format as maps charts figures , shape files , geodatabase, raster…etc.
5. Hazard Assessment & Risk Mapping: A ‘Hazard’ is formally defined an environmental hazard as “an event, or continuing process, which if realized, will lead to circumstances having the potential to degrade, directly or indirectly, the quality of the environment”. A hazard presents a risk when it is likely to affect something of value. Hazard maps show and indicate the range of influence of each object in a specific piece of land to produce hazard material that will finally affect the ground water. The preparation of hazard maps follows a 7‐step work plan, starting from an Inventory of Hazards and leading to the eventual production of Hazard Maps.
6. Vulnerability Mapping: The groundwater system are well known for their particular vulnerability to contamination arising from their special characteristics, like thin soils, point recharge, shafts and swallow holes,  waste water flow as well as concentration of flow in the epikarst zone. Such characteristics result in contaminants easily reaching groundwater, The PI Method is a GIS‐based approach to mapping intrinsic groundwater vulnerability with special consideration for karst aquifers. The PI‐method takes two main factors into account: the Protective cover (P‐factor) and the Infiltration conditions (I‐factor).

• Hydrological Modeling: The modeling of earth surface is essential for the hydrological analysis; it is useful for the study of water movement depending on the digital elevation model (DEM) to acquire some of the hydrological components like streams, outlets, watershed, basins, Flow direction, flow accumulation and flow length. Many tools have been developed in the ArcGIS in order to make it easy to find out in a direct way these hydrological components. The main inputs required to estimate annual runoff are rainfall, soil, geology, slope, land use/land cover and antecedent moisture conditions. The final output will be an estimation of the amount of surface water runoff available within the boundary of Sarida catchment.

Ground Water Flow Modeling: Groundwater models are computer models of groundwater flow systems, used by hydro geologists to simulate and predict aquifer conditions. Groundwater models are used to represent the natural groundwater flow in the environment. Some groundwater models include (chemical) quality aspects of the groundwater. Such groundwater models try to predict the fate and movement of the chemical in natural, urban or hypothetical scenario.