Mapping of Sites for Underground Dams using GIS in Golgir Plain, South West Iran

Ali Mehrabinejad , Iman Mehrabinejad , Leila Mirzaei , Manoochehr Chitsazan , Farshad Alijani

The potential of underground dams to supply good quality of water at a reasonably low price and prevention of flood is undoubtedly very high in Iran as well as in many parts of Middle East. In this study, GIS was coupled with multicriteria evaluation techniques in order to finding the best sites of underground dams in Golgir plain, south west Iran. The model uses ten geologic and hydrogeolgic parameters (thickness of alluvium, hydraulic gradient, density of surface drainage, storativity, slope of topography, groundwater salinity, depth to groundwater, aquifer media, vadose zone, and hydraulic conductivity) to characterize the hydrogeological setting and evaluate sites for construction of underground dam. Geographic Information System (GIS) and index–overlay method were used to create a map of underground dam sites by overlapping the available data. Then final map of site selection multiplied by a Boolean layer of main drainage system to obtain the best sites in the low altitude alluvial valleys. It is expected that this method for mapping of sites for underground dam will be widely applied in the development of new water resources for desert areas.