Date of Award

8-2025

Degree Type

Report

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Geosciences

Committee Chair(s)

Thomas E. Lachmar (Committee Chair)

Committee

Thomas E. Lachmar

Committee

Kelly Bradbury

Committee

Andrew A. Keller

Abstract

This study presents a hydrogeologic assessment of the Distributed Renewable Energy Agriculture Modalities (DREAM) pilot project, an ongoing groundwater development initiative in rural Ethiopia. This project integrates solar-powered groundwater infrastructure across six villages to improve water access, agricultural productivity, and economic stability.

Fourteen production wells were installed at Murche, four at Dalle, and additional test wells at Murche, Dalle, Chefe Kora, and Huluku. Transmissivity values and the number of wells at Murche suggest that local water needs are currently being met. In contrast, fewer wells were drilled at Dalle. This reflects the high cost of well construction relative to yield, not a lack of demand. Given the lower transmissivity values at Dalle, alternative water sources such as adjacent river water may be needed to meet irrigation demands. Test wells at Chefe Kora and Huluku yielded high transmissivity values, highlighting their potential for future expansion.

Several challenges were identified, including excessive screened intervals, short recovery test durations, and high ion balance errors in water chemistry analyses. These practices can lead to reduced well efficiency, misinterpretation of aquifer recovery characteristics, and uncertainty in water quality assessments. To address these issues, this report recommends (1) limiting screened intervals to geologically appropriate zones, (2) extending recovery monitoring to ensure accurate estimation of aquifer properties, and (3) improving water sample quality control and ion balance verification.

In addition to presenting hydrogeologic data, this report provides educational materials tailored to DREAM stakeholders, illustrating groundwater properties such as drawdown and well yield, and engineering concepts like screen placement and well log interpretation. Overall, this work summarizes test and production well data, analyzes pump test results, and offers recommendations to support ongoing groundwater development for the DREAM pilot project and others like it.

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