Geoscientists Without Borders^®

Benin, West Africa: "Seismic imaging to help understand and manage water quality in coastal Benin, West Africa."

Partners: Boise State University, University of Notre Dame, Université d'Abomey-Calavi, Bénin

Summary: The coastal city of Cotonou in Bénin, West Africa, is a large population center that is facing a serious threat to the sustainability of its fresh water supply. Cotonou is Bénin's largest city with approximately 1.5 – 2.0 million people. It relies on the Godomey aquifer for domestic water supply. The aquifer is undergoing saltwater intrusion and this problem is likely to worsen without significant steps to improve management of the pumping system. Lake Nokoué is a nearby water body that has high salinity levels throughout much of the year and is thought to be the primary source of salinity in the aquifer. Within Lake Nokoué is Ganvié (a city of greater than 30,000 inhabitants built entirely on stilts in the lake). The presence of this lake city and the fact that the lake is heavily relied upon for fishing has resulted in severe manipulation of the lake for waste disposal, navigation and fish farming. The continuity of the aquifer and saltwater flow paths are poorly understood but this information is critical to ensure sustainable access to fresh water in this growing urban center. The aim is to use seismic reflection and electrical resistivity to map the primary aquifer system and identify flow pathways for saline water. Another goal of the project is to provide training and field experience for both U.S. and Bénin students.

Point of Contact: John Bradford - (208) 426-3898, johnb@cgiss.boisestate.edu, Boise State University