Geostatistical Mapping of Piezometric Levels: Case Study of Chaouia Coastal Aquifer, Morocco

Located on the Moroccan Atlantic coast, coastal Chaouia aquifer, the region’s subject of this study, constitutes the most extensive aquifer. It is composed mainly by a complex aquifer of geological formations from Ordovician-Cambrian, Cretaceous and Pliocene–Quaternary age, respectively. The geostatistical method by kriging, applied to piezometric data of 2009 and 2011, draws the evolution of water levels in these periods. The comparison of the obtained piezometric maps shows a seaward move of the potentiometric line 0 m, in 2011, which has been related to the importance of 2010 rainfall. The flow of water table is always oriented toward the sea with a convex trend of the piezometric curves at the vicinity of Oum Er-Rbia River, showing a permanent drainage phenomenon, proving that the piezometric level of the groundwater remains constantly above the level of the river water. Besides, piezometric chronicles recorded in the aquifer formations indicate that the piezometry of the water table is mainly related to possible changes in recharge rate under the rain.