A brief summary of the hydrogeology of the West Bank

This working document forms part of the SUSMAQ project (the sustainable management of aquifers). The project is concerned with the transboundary aquifer of the West Bank of the Jordan which underlies the occupied Palestinian territories and Israel. The SUSMAQ project is interdisciplinary. Economists and sociologists are working alongside groundwater modellers and hydrogeologists to help identify options for sustainable management of the groundwater resources. The project naturally splits into two components: the groundwater modelling and management options. This document is an output of the management options (MO) team and has been written to help successful communication across the project. This report summarises the hydrogeology of the West Bank for non-specialists. The primary aim of the report is to act as the main hydrogeological source for the economists and sociologists which make up the Management Options team. However it could also act as an easy reference for all in the project, and help explain the hydrogeology to those outside. The report is illustrated with many schematic diagrams which attempt to aid understanding of the complex hydrogeology, rather than act as true geological maps or cross sections. Much of the information has been gathered from internal SUSMAQ reports with some references to external publications. A glossary is provided at the end of the report defining technical terms used in the report.