Managed aquifer recharge: state-of-the-art and opportunities

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 578-588 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert G. Maliva

The performance of managed aquifer recharge (MAR) systems is highly dependent upon local hydrogeology, which controls the movement and mixing of stored water and fluid–rock interactions, which can impact recharged water quality. The leading edge of MAR technology is the integration of data obtained using conventional and advanced aquifer characterization technologies into groundwater models that have improved predictive capabilities. Borehole and surface geophysical technologies and geostatistical and stochastic modeling methods, in particular, offer opportunities for improved aquifer characterization and modeling. The objective is to develop more accurate groundwater models that can be used as site-screening tools to identify locations and aquifers that have the greatest potential for successful implementation of MAR and to evaluate various design and operational options to find optimal local solutions.

2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. F. Hamadeh ◽  
S. K. Sharma ◽  
G. Amy

Constructed wetlands (CWs) and managed aquifer recharge (MAR) represent commonly used natural treatment systems for reclamation and reuse of wastewater. However, each of these technologies have some limitations with respect to removal of different contaminants. Combining these two technologies into a hybrid CW-MAR system will lead to synergy in terms of both water quality and costs. This promising technology will help in the reduction of bacteria and viruses, trace and heavy metals, organic micropollutants, and nutrients. Use of subsurface flow CWs as pre-treatment for MAR has multiple benefits: (i) it creates a barrier for different microbial and chemical pollutants, (ii) it reduces the residence time for water recovery, and (iii) it avoids clogging during MAR as CWs can remove suspended solids and enhance the reclaimed water quality. This paper analyzes the removal of different contaminants by CW and MAR systems based on a literature review. It is expected that a combination of these natural treatment systems (CWs and MAR) could become an attractive, efficient and cost-effective technology for water reclamation and reuse.


2009 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 33
Author(s):  
Simon Toze ◽  
Deborah Reed

Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) is a technique that can be used to capture and store water in aquifers under managed conditions for later recovery and use for specific purposes. There is a need to predict water quality changes during MAR, particularly when recycled water is used as the recharged water. An understanding of the interaction between the geochemistry of the aquifer and the microbial population dynamics in the groundwater is important for understanding any water quality changes. A study was undertaken to monitor the changes in the microbial population and link this to changes in the geochemistry. The results obtained showed that the recharge of recycled water to aquifers causes a change in microbial population structure which has direct links to corresponding changes in geochemistry.


2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentina Lazarova ◽  
Gregg Oelker ◽  
Wyatt Oelker

A new concept developed for the successful implementation of integrated resource management in urban and protected areas is the production of ‘designer’ or custom-made recycled water for various reuse purposes. The Edward C. Little Water Recycling Facility in El Segundo, California is an excellent example and the only facility in the world and the United States producing five distinct types of recycled water. This paper presents the plant design, critical milestones, water quality challenges faced and problems solved towards consistently meeting the needs of a diverse client base through delivery of a leading-edge range of custom-made recycled waters.


2010 ◽  
Vol 62 (10) ◽  
pp. 2338-2345 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Dillon ◽  
S. Toze ◽  
D. Page ◽  
J. Vanderzalm ◽  
E. Bekele ◽  
...  

Use of Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) has rapidly increased in Australia, USA, and Europe in recent years as an efficient means of recycling stormwater or treated sewage effluent for non-potable and indirect potable reuse in urban and rural areas. Yet aquifers have been relied on knowingly for water storage and unwittingly for water treatment for millennia. Hence if ‘leading edge’ is defined as ‘the foremost part of a trend; a vanguard’, it would be misleading to claim managed aquifer recharge as a leading edge technology. However it has taken a significant investment in scientific research in recent years to demonstrate the effectiveness of aquifers as sustainable treatment systems to enable managed aquifer recharge to be recognised along side engineered treatment systems in water recycling. It is a ‘cross-over’ technology that is applicable to water and wastewater treatment and makes use of passive low energy processes to spectacularly reduce the energy requirements for water supply. It is robust within limits, has low cost, is suitable from village to city scale supplies, and offers as yet almost untapped opportunities for producing safe drinking water supplies where they do not yet exist. It will have an increasingly valued role in securing water supplies to sustain cities affected by climate change and population growth. However it is not a universal panacea and relies on the presence of suitable aquifers and sources of water together with effective governance to ensure human health and environment protection and water resources planning and management. This paper describes managed aquifer recharge, illustrates its use in Australia, outlining economics, guidelines and policies, and presents some of the knowledge about aquifer treatment processes that are revealing the latent value of aquifers as urban water infrastructure and provide a driver to improving our understanding of urban hydrogeology.


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