Commissioning of abandoned drainage water reuse systems in Egypt: A case study of upgrading the Umoum project, Nile Delta

In the 1980s, the reuse of agricultural drainage water became a policy in Egyptian water resources management practice. Since 1992, 7 of the 23 main reuse mixing stations have been entirely or periodically closed. In the western Nile Delta, the Umoum is a mega‐project for water reuse, which has been constructed but has not started operation. In order to upgrade and operate efficiently the drainage reuse system of the Umoum project, developing promising water management alternatives are investigated by applying flow‐water quality model prediction. As a valuable research tool, the DUFLOW model was applied incorporating sufficient work on the technical details of the channels in the study area. Covering the drainage water salinity and relevant water quality parameters, DUFLOW was used to compare the results of the model‐based alternatives with both the analysed situation and the environmental standards. The simulations showed that the most suitable scenario is the alternative based on reducing the anticipated amount of 1 BCM yr−1 drainage water for reuse by 20%. By developing a mixing ratio of 5:1, the mixed irrigation water in the Nubaria canal complies with local standards and can be abstracted for irrigation and drinking water intake. Finally, this study has successfully identified the problematic location and brought a significant outcome for commissioning the abandoned drainage reuse system of the Umoum project.