Effect of Water Seepage on Nearby Structures : A Case Study of Sayf Thulfiqar Artificial Lake in Bahr Al-Najaf/Iraq

The city of Al-Najaf and particularly Bahr Al- Najaf area, is expecting a number of large scale construction activities. Among these investment activities are the planning for construction a new tourist city called Sayf Thulfiqar city. The city is to be constructed on the west side of Bahr Al Najaf consisting of several high rise buildings as large hotels and many residential buildings, like small dwellings in addition to many other services. The artificial lake is one of the main items in this city. All structures are located on the shore or close to the shore of the artificial lake. With this in mind, it is expected that many changes will occur in the soil due to the seepage of water from the lake to the surrounding areas and ultimately will affect the foundation of the structures.