A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering, School of Engineering and Technology

Thesis (M.Eng.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 1983

The study was intended to appraise the available groundwater resources in Buriram province both in quantity and quality aspects so as to provide general guideline for groundwater use for various purposes. In doing so, the long term average annual groundwater recharge to Buriram province is calculated from water balance computation and is compared with the results obtained from specific yield and infiltration methods. From water balance computation, the estimated natural groundwater recharge come to 46.4 mm/year where as recharge estimated from specific yield method was 100.2 mm/year. Data on specific yield of soil in saturated zone and groundwater fluctuation from shallow wells from interviewing local people are needed for specific yield method in which area weighted mean was used in computed average recharge. In infiltration method ISRAELSEN and HENSEN equation is used to find the constant infiltration rate where from the analysis annual recharge is 246.4 mm/year. Moreover based on subsurface strata and hydrologic mapping using data on well logs, pumping rate and aquifer types, it has been found that the aquifer in this province can give a maximum yield of about 15 m3/hr. In addition, piezometric contour map was drawn from piezometric head measurements conducted in the field. For groundwater quality analysis, BACK techniques was used for mapping of hadrochemical facies by using fence diagram that show the overall facies distribution of chemical constituents. Groundwater quality in this province is of high hardness content all throughout the province and of appreciable salt content in some places of Amphoe Muang Buriram, Satuk and Khumuang.