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In the Garu-Tempane area and Tamne River basin of north-eastern Ghana, granitic aquifers supply nearly 80% of annually abstracted groundwater. Rapid and diffuse recharge enters the fractured and weathered Tamnean Plutonic Suite aquifers mainly granitoid, which are the dominant rock types in the study area. However, a greater challenge to the water supply in the area is posed by global climatic changes and overexploitation due to population growth. The semi-arid nature of the area together with the factors mentioned earlier has caused water scarcity, particularly in the dry season and these have affected the livelihoods of the farmers who depend mostly on the groundwater for irrigation and domestic purposes. A promising way to balance water resources in the region is using engineering technology such as managed aquifer recharge (MAR). MAR augments water levels in water-scarce areas and represents a key tool in water supply management.
For this reason, a comprehensive hydrogeological characterization involving the hydrochemistry of the groundwater, groundwater recharge process and residence time using multi-environmental tracers, and a numerical groundwater flow model was developed.
Based on the hydrochemistry results, the water quality index showed that the groundwater is very suitable for drinking. However, about 10.5 % out of the 38 groundwater samples had elevated nitrate concentrations exceeding the permissible WHO drinking water limit. These are mainly agricultural areas, which might have influenced the elevated nitrate concentrations.
Groundwater age dating using sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) was used to date shallow groundwater in Ghana for the first time. The results proved that the mean residence time of groundwater was around 30 years, an indication of young groundwater and rapid groundwater renewability. The findings also showed different groundwater ages implying diffused flow systems occurring in the fractured granitic aquifer.
Investigation of the groundwater recharge using stable isotopes of deuterium and oxygen-18 revealed that the main source of groundwater recharge is of meteoric origin. There were little or no contributions from the stream and ponds as they were subjected to evaporative fractionation during the dry season. The White Volta River samples and samples from two big rivers were depleted in heavy isotopes, which suggested a hydraulic connection between them and the groundwater.
The numerical groundwater flow model was used to assess the feasibility of MAR and determine the maximum recharge and abstraction rates. The results showed that the aquifer had enough storage to accommodate enough volumes of floodwater without causing groundwater mounding. This shows that MAR is feasible in augmenting the water levels in the area when irrigation and domestic withdrawals are regulated.