Evaluation of Groundwater-Surface Water Interaction by Using Cluster Analysis(Case Study: Western Part of Dezful-Andimeshk Plain)

Evaluation of the interactions between surface water and groundwater in order to efficiently manage water resources is essential. Having Dezful-Andimeshk plain as the largest and the most important agricultural plain in Khuzestan province and also experiencing increasing demand in surface water and groundwater resources in the agricultural use, affirm that the assessment of the relationship between aquifers and rivers for the proper management of water resources is of great importance. In this study Cluster analysis has been performed to determine the interactions between groundwater resources and surface waters in the designated plain. In this paper, the qualitative parameters of 37 groundwater wells and 3 hydrometric stations related to Shavour, Dez and Karkheh rivers were investigated in normal, dry and wet periods. The parameters are: EC (Electrical conductivity), main cations (Ca2 +, Mg2 +, Na+, K+) and major anions (Cl-, HCO3-, SO42-). Then, through using cluster analysis, the similarity between stations was determined, the dendrogram indicated three distinct groups, the first group demonstrated the similarity between the Shavour river, Dez river and the right-hand seafront aquifer, the second group of the qualitative repository wells the southern plain and the third group reflected the similarity of the Karkhe River with the wells around the river. Results have shown that discharging the Dez River directly affects the quality of the aquifer in the plain, and it seems that the Karkheh River has the least similarity to the surface water and groundwater resources in the plain.