ASPIRED Project will refurbish two groundwater monitoring wells of the National Groundwater Monitoring Network of Armenia located in Vardanashen and Dalar communities. The renovation of the wells is necessary for improving the quality of the groundwater measurements in the Ararat Valley conducted by the Hydrometeorology and Monitoring Center (HMC) of the Armenian Ministry of Environment.
The HMC has 109 groundwater points established in six basin management areas, of which 48 points are located in the Ararat Valley. Water measurements on observation points provide information on the state of the groundwater aquifer as well as water parameters and quality. With the use of special equipment, part of which was donated by the ASPIRED Project earlier, HMC specialists can obtain information on the groundwater level in a particular well and monitor water against 40 parameters, including the water temperature, mineralization, hardness, electric conductivity, etc.
The wells in Dalar and Vardanashen communities are both in poor condition and require complete refurbishment, including cleaning of wells, restoration of damaged well structures wherever necessary, replacement of valves and area fencing. In Dalar, the water spillover deluged the area turning it into a swamp and hampering the measurements. ASPIRED will also envisage a sanitary protection zone and protective steel cabins to prevent external access to the well area and possible contamination of aquifers. The photos show the current condition of the wells in Dalar and Vardanashen.
In 2019, the ASPIRED Project refurbished seven observation wells in the feeding zone of the Ararat Valley for inclusion into the National Reference Groundwater Monitoring Network.
