Assessment of Urmia Lake Water Interactions and Saltwater Intrusion to Surrounding Aquifers

In the last decade، the water level of Urmia Lake has experienced a dramatically drop. Although the causes of this lose have been investigated، the significance of groundwater supplies had not been concerned so much. In the present research، groundwater resources around the Lake were explored as its water supplier. The number of wells and groundwater withdrawal has been increased because of cultivation، dry farming، and agricultural activities growth; so aquifers of this area have been affected by saltwater influx. In this research، water surface contours used for evaluation of the Lake’s groundwater inflows fluctuation and changes of aquifers’ salinity were assessed for (the Lake) water interactions in two periods (2001 and 2011). According to the results، in Mahabad، Tabriz، Azarshahr، Shabestar-Soofian and Ajabshir aquifers the groundwater flow direction has changed from lake to aquifer. This means that the groundwater boundary input from these aquifers to the Lake are cut down. Large parts of aquifers around the Lake have been subjected to saltwater influx by change of groundwater flow direction whereas electrical conductivity of Tabriz، Miandoab، Kahriz and Shiramin aquifers increased considerably. In conclusion، eastern aquifer situations are more critical than western ones and highly vulnerable to quality degradation.