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The United States Geological Survey (USGS), in close coordination with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Northern Arizona University, is working to characterize the occurrence of shallow (<200 m deep) and deep (> 200 m deep) groundwater to assist in ongoing water-supply development. The study area is in the Athi and Tana River basins of central to eastern Kenya, home to some 20 million people. This groundwater mapping project consists of 4 components:

• Remote sensing applications to detect and assess the potential occurrence of shallow groundwater,
• Hydrogeologic assessment to assess potential occurrence of deep groundwater and to develop a quantitative conceptualization of the regional groundwater system,
• Economic assessment to analyze sustainable and optimized economic use patterns of water resources within a given watershed, and
• Capacity building to train Kenyan water professionals from the national and county government levels to perform the remote sensing applications, hydrogeologic assessments, and economic modeling.

Drs. Saud A. Amer, Tyler V. King, and Wayne R. Belcher conducted a two-week capacity building session in August and September 2024. This fourth and final training session on remote sensing and hydrogeology was hosted by the Kenya School of Government (KSG) in Mombasa, Kenya. There were 27 attendees in the training representing 16 Kenyan government entities. The remote sensing training focused on processing radar and Landsat data to produce the potential infiltration maps and vegetation index maps that, in combination with hydrogeology, are the basis of the potential groundwater (PGW) maps. The PGW will be used to locate sites for well drilling. The hydrogeology training covered the analysis of aquifer test results and an introduction to groundwater and surface water field methods. The hydrogeology training consisted of a series of lectures and hands-on exercises, including measuring a water level in a well at the KSG. 

During this session, the USGS toured a region northwest from Mombasa between Maji Ya Chumvi (“Salty River”) and the town of Samburu south of Mombasa Rd (Kenya Highway A109). The area was evaluated as a potential location for a future field exercise for the use of the remotely-sensed potential groundwater mapping products with the Groundwater Exploration Navigation Systems (GWENS) field tool. The GWENS combines PGW maps with GPS location to assess potential drilling locations for production wells.

The technical assistance and training provided through this capacity building project is designed to support Kenyan water resource professionals in applying tools for remote sensing, hydrogeologic assessments and economic assessments to chart a course for sustainable groundwater development throughout the arid and semi-arid regions of Kenya. This work is funded by USAID.