Assessment of aquifers contamination risk by TCR method: Case of the Middle Cheliff Alluvial Plain, Algeria

This research focuses on examining the susceptibility of the Middle Cheliff aquifer to pollution through the application of the TCR method. The parameters of this methods are the the transit time (T), the purification degree (C'p/Cp) and the recharge degree (R'/R). The values for these three parameters were determined through sensitivity tests. Then, multiple linear regression analyses were conducted on the control wells. Subsequently, the GIS tool was employed to create an intrinsic vulnerability map and a thematic map. The results illustrate that the low class of vulnerability is dominant (86 %), followed by the medium and high class with a rate of 12 % and 2 %, respectively. The validation of the vulnerability map issued from the TCR method confirmed the tendency of this susceptibility to decrease downstream towards the south west of the plain with nitrate concentrations between 30 and 120 mg/L. The vulnerability map generated can equip planners with resources for the initial identification of priority areas suitable for various types of sustainable development.