scholarly journals Managed Aquifer Recharge as a Strategic Storage and Urban Water Management Tool in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 1869 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Knapton ◽  
Declan Page ◽  
Joanne Vanderzalm ◽  
Dennis Gonzalez ◽  
Karen Barry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Storage Capacity ◽  
Managed Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Injection Wells ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Aquifer Storage ◽  
Asr System

Population growth and increased irrigation demand have caused a decline in groundwater levels that limit water supply in the Darwin rural area. Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) is a practical solution that can be adopted to augment stressed groundwater systems and subsequently increase the security of water supply. Aquifer storage capacity is considered to be the primary constraint to MAR where unconfined dolostone aquifers rapidly recharge during the tropical, wet season and drain again in the dry season. As a result, there is a general understanding that aquifers of this nature recharge to full capacity each wet season. However, the aquifer storage capacity and the potential for niche opportunities for MAR to alleviate declining groundwater levels has not previously been examined. This paper uses the Darwin rural area’s Proterozoic Koolpinyah Dolostone aquifer and the existing Koolpinyah Groundwater System to evaluate the prospects of MAR using both infiltration and injection techniques. Direct injection wells in an aquifer storage transfer and recovery (ASTR) scheme were favoured in this area, as injection wells occupy a smaller surface footprint than infiltration basins. This assessment suggested MAR during the early to mid-dry season could alleviate the impact of the dry season decline in groundwater levels in the Darwin rural area. The use of a larger aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) system (5,000,000 m3/year) was also assessed as a potentially viable technical solution in the northern part of the aquifer where it is understood to be confined. The ASR scheme could potentially be scaleable to augment the urban water system and provide strategic long-term storage. Consideration must also be given not only to the strategic positioning of the ASR water bank, but also to the hydrogeology of the aquifers in which the systems would be developed. Not all locations or aquifer systems can successfully support a strategic storage ASR system. Scheme-scale feasibility assessment of an ASR water bank is required. The study reported here is an early phase of a series of investigations that would typically be required to demonstrate the viability of any proposal to apply MAR to increase the reliability of conjunctive groundwater and surface water supplies in stressed water resources systems. It focusses on assessing suitable storage areas in a lateritic aquifer.

scholarly journals Rainfall-runoff modelling and palaeoflood hydrology applied to reconstruct centennial scale records of flooding and aquifer recharge in ungauged ephemeral rivers

2011 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 1185-1196 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Benito ◽  
B. A. Botero ◽  
V. R. Thorndycraft ◽  
M. Rico ◽  
Y. Sánchez-Moya ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Return Period ◽  
Stream Flow ◽  
Storage Capacity ◽  
Arid Environments ◽  
Rainfall Runoff ◽  
Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Aquifer Storage ◽  
Ephemeral Rivers ◽  
Large Floods

Abstract. In this study we propose a multi-source data approach for quantifying long-term flooding and aquifer recharge in ungauged ephemeral rivers. The methodology is applied to the Buffels River, at 9000 km2 the largest ephemeral river in Namaqualand (NW South Africa), a region with scarce stream flow records limiting research investigating hydrological response to global change. Daily discharge and annual flood series (1965–2006) were estimated from a distributed rainfall-runoff hydrological model (TETIS) using rainfall gauge records located within the catchment. The model was calibrated and validated with data collected during a two year monitoring programme (2005–2006) at two stream flow stations, one each in the upper and lower reaches of the catchment. In addition to the modelled flow records, non-systematic flood data were reconstructed using both sedimentary and documentary evidence. The palaeoflood record identified at least 25 large floods during the last 700 yr; with the largest floods reaching a minimum discharge of 255 m3 s−1 (450 yr return period) in the upper basin, and 510 m3 s−1 (100 yr return period) in the lower catchment. Since AD 1925, the flood hydrology of the Buffels River has been characterised by a decrease in the magnitude and frequency of extreme floods, with palaeoflood discharges (period 1500–1921) five times greater than the largest modelled floods during the period 1965–2006. Large floods generated the highest hydrograph volumes, however their contribution to aquifer recharge is limited as this depends on other factors such as flood duration and storage capacity of the unsaturated zone prior to the flood. Floods having average return intervals of 5–10 yr (120–140 m3 s−1) and flowing for 12 days are able to fully saturate the Spektakel aquifer in the lower Buffels River basin. Alluvial aquifer storage capacity limiting potential recharge by the largest floods is a common problem in arid environments, with the largest infiltration volumes favoured by increasing depth to groundwater levels.

Designing tradeable rights to manage aquifer recharge according to robust separation principles

2008 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 427-440 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Ward ◽  
Peter Dillon ◽  
Agnes Grandgirard
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Reform Process ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Market Exchange ◽  
Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Australian Water ◽  
Aquifer Storage ◽  
Robust Separation ◽  
Water Reform

Many cities are experiencing mature urban water economies, characterised by limited opportunities for future water impoundments, rising incremental supply and infrastructure costs, intensified competition and increased interdependencies between diverse water uses. Aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) is currently promoted as one option to augment existing supplies and in many jurisdictions is assuming increasing importance in the portfolio of urban water management strategies. Consistent with trends in international water policy development, Australian water reform has emphasised institutional and governance approaches promoting voluntary transfers of water through market exchange. The reform process has made substantial advances in addressing the constraints and tensions associated with mature rural water economies, with limited influence in urban water systems. What remains unclear is the degree of alignment of new water management technologies such as ASR operations with explicit water reform directives of market development and the capacity of subsequent urban water legislation to provide consistent and coherent ASR guidelines. The paper describes a systematic approach to align the hydrological characteristics of an aquifer with economic and policy interpretations central to the development and management of ASR. The paper introduces a schema to identify the elements of the urban terrestrial water cycle specific to ASR, the development of a typology to characterise the aquifer potential for ASR, and identify and determine the nature of property rights for each system element according to the principles of robust separation of water rights.

scholarly journals Spatial variability of shallow groundwater level in the Northern Kathmandu Valley

2018 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-54
Author(s):  
Manish Shrestha ◽  
Naresh Kazi Tamrakar
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Level ◽  
Shallow Groundwater ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Northern Region ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Kathmandu Valley ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Geological Material ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Shallow Groundwater Level

Groundwater is the water which is present in pore spaces and in the fractures of the geological materials beneath earth surface. Water is incompressible substance and presence of small amount of water in geological material modifies the behavior of geological material under stresses. Determination of engineering behavior of the geological material is almost impossible skipping the role of water. The objective of this study was to map and evaluate shallow groundwater level of the northern Kathmandu Valley covering main rivers such as the Bagmati River, Bishnumati River, Dhobi Khola and the Manahara Khola. These rivers flow from the North to the South across the sand rich sediment zone. Static groundwater levels of 239 wells were measured from different locations of the study area in April/March 2017 (Dry Season) and in August 2017 (Wet Season). Shallow groundwater level was measured from soil surface to water level using well water depth logger (Qin and Li, 1998). The result showed that groundwater level ranged from 0.6 m to 12.5 m in dry season and 0.1 m to 13 m in wet season. The groundwater level increased by average of 34.68% (n = 235) as compared to that in dry season. Increase in the groundwater level suggests recharge of groundwater in wet season of the study area. The flow pattern of groundwater levels from the study shows flow of shallow groundwater towards the major rivers of that particular river watershed. As a consequence, seepage flow and piping erosion is likely along the riverbank slopes. Increase in recharge of groundwater during wet season exhibits that the northern region of the Kathmandu Valley is potential for groundwater recharge and can be used to manage water for the dry period.

Focused groundwater recharge in a dryland environment: hydrometric and isotopic evidence from central Tanzania

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Seddon ◽  
Japhet J. Kashaigili ◽  
Richard G. Taylor ◽  
Mark O. Cuthbert ◽  
Lucas Mihale ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Recharge ◽  
Surface Waters ◽  
Poverty Alleviation ◽  
Managed Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Ephemeral Stream ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Semi Arid

<p>Groundwater, and its replenishment via recharge, is critical to livelihoods and poverty alleviation in drylands of sub-Saharan Africa and beyond, yet the processes by which groundwater is replenished remain inadequately observed and resolved. Here, we present three lines of evidence, from an extensively-monitored wellfield in central semi-arid Tanzania, indicating focused groundwater recharge occurring via leakage from episodic, ephemeral stream discharges. First, the duration of ephemeral streamflow observed from daily records from 2007 to 2016 correlates strongly (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.85) with the magnitude of groundwater recharge events observed and estimated from piezometric observations. Second, high-resolution (hourly) monitoring of groundwater levels and stream stage, established in advance of the 2015-16 El Niño, shows the formation and decay of groundwater mounds beneath episodically inundated adjacent streambeds. Third, stable-isotope ratios of O and H of groundwater and precipitation as well as perennial and ephemeral surface waters trace the origin of groundwater to ephemeral stream discharges. The identification and characterisation of focused groundwater recharge have important implications not only, locally, for protecting and potentially augmenting replenishment of a wellfield supplying the capital of Tanzania through Managed Aquifer Recharge but also, more widely, in understanding and modelling groundwater recharge in dryland environments.</p>

Seasonal variation in the microbial quality of shallow groundwater in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

2013 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 390-397 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sadhana Shrestha ◽  
Takashi Nakamura ◽  
Rabin Malla ◽  
Kei Nishida
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Level ◽  
Seasonal Variations ◽  
Shallow Groundwater ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Kathmandu Valley ◽  
Microbial Quality ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
E Coli

To develop effective groundwater pollution control strategies for the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, seasonal variations in microbial quality and their underlying mechanisms must be understood. However, to date, there are no studies that address these topics. In this study, groundwater samples from dug wells were collected during the dry and wet seasons from 2009 to 2012, and Escherichia coli (E. coli) and total coliforms were analysed. Three wells were monitored each month for a year. Microbial concentrations in shallow groundwater were significantly higher during the wet season than during the dry season. Analyses of rainfall and E. coli concentrations in different seasons indicated that a high level of faecal material infiltration during the rainy season may have caused the seasonal variations in microbial quality. A moderate to strong relationship between E. coli concentrations and groundwater level suggested that the rise in groundwater levels during the wet season may be another reason for this variation. This long time-scale survey detected a significant decline in the microbial quality of shallow groundwater during the wet season as compared with the dry season. We propose that the infiltration of contaminants and change in groundwater level are the two probable mechanisms for the observed seasonal differences.

Process Based Integrated Models for Managed Aquifer Recharge and Aquifer Storage Treatment and Recovery

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 387-400
Author(s):  
Suman Gurjar ◽  
Narayan C. Ghosh ◽  
Sumant Kumar ◽  
Anupma Sharma ◽  
Surjeet Singh
Keyword(s):  
Managed Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Integrated Models ◽  
Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Aquifer Storage ◽  
Storage Treatment

scholarly journals Monitoring and modeling infiltration-recharge dynamics of managed aquifer recharge with desalinated seawater

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yonatan Ganot ◽  
Ran Holtzman ◽  
Noam Weisbrod ◽  
Ido Nitzan ◽  
Yoram Katz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Model ◽  
Groundwater Recharge ◽  
Multiple Scales ◽  
Pressure Sensors ◽  
Managed Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Analytical Models ◽  
Low Permeability ◽  
Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Infiltration Rates

Abstract. We study the relation between surface infiltration and groundwater recharge during managed aquifer recharge (MAR) with desalinated seawater in an infiltration pond, at the Menashe site that overlies the northern part of the Israeli Coastal Aquifer. We monitor infiltration dynamics at multiple scales (up to the scale of the entire pond) by measuring the ponding depth, sediment water content and groundwater levels, using pressure sensors, single-ring infiltrometers, soil sensors and observation wells. During a month (January 2015) of continuous intensive MAR (2.45 · 106 m3 discharged to a 10.7 hectare area), groundwater level has risen by 17 m attaining full connection with the pond, while average infiltration rates declined by almost 2 orders of magnitude (from ~ 11 to ~ 0.4 m d−1). This reduction can be explained solely by the lithology of the unsaturated zone that includes relatively low-permeability sediments, whereas clogging processes at pond-surface – abundant in many MAR operations – are negated by the high-quality desalinated seawater or negligible compared to the low-permeability layers. Recharge during infiltration was estimated reasonably well by simple analytical models, whereas a numerical model was used for estimating groundwater recharge after the end of infiltration. It was found that a calibrated numerical model with a one-dimensional representative sediment profile is able to capture MAR dynamics, including temporal reduction of infiltration rates, drainage and groundwater recharge. Measured infiltration rates of an independent MAR event (January 2016) fitted well to those calculated by the calibrated numerical model, showing the model validity. The successful quantification methodologies of the temporal groundwater recharge are useful for MAR practitioners and can serve as an input for groundwater flow models.

scholarly journals Potential for managed aquifer recharge in southwestern Bangladesh based on social necessity and technical suitability

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Floris Loys Naus ◽  
Paul Schot ◽  
Boris M. van Breukelen ◽  
Kazi Matin Ahmed ◽  
Jasper Griffioen
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Pond Water ◽  
Managed Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Careful Evaluation ◽  
Saline Groundwater ◽  
Northern Areas ◽  
Acceptable Quality ◽  
Practical Guidelines

Abstract In southwestern Bangladesh, clean drinking water is scarce, since rainwater is only available during the monsoon, pond water is often bacteriologically polluted, and groundwater may exhibit high salinity and arsenic levels. Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) might potentially provide safe drinking water by storing abundant freshwater from the wet season in aquifers for year-round use. Regional potential for MAR was determined by combining assessments of (1) social necessity for MAR by mapping areas with insufficient drinking water of acceptable quality; (2) regional technical suitability by determining the (a) impact of density-driven flow on freshwater recovery efficiency, and (b) vulnerability of recovered water to mixing with contaminated groundwater. These assessments were based on the largest groundwater quality dataset compiled to date in southwestern Bangladesh, which contains 3,716 salinity and 827 arsenic measurements. The results show there is some mismatch between social necessity and technical suitability. In some northern areas, necessity is low because good quality groundwater is present and hence, despite the high technical suitability, potential for MAR is reduced. In other northern areas, groundwater with unsafe arsenic levels or brackish groundwater is likely used for drinking. There, MAR is a technically suitable and safer option. In southern areas, where saline groundwater is widespread and people consume bacterially unsafe pond water, the high groundwater salinity calls for careful evaluation of MAR design, for which this study presents practical guidelines. The approach developed may be useful for mapping MAR potential based on social necessity and technical suitability in other saline deltas worldwide.

scholarly journals Planning Considerations of Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) Projects in Jordan

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elias Salameh ◽  
Ghaida Abdallat ◽  
Michael van der Valk
Keyword(s):  
Middle Eastern ◽  
Managed Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Aquifer Recharge ◽  
North African ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Increasing Demand ◽  
North African Countries ◽  
Impacts Of Climate Change

This work discussed the conditions for the successful implementation of managed aquifer recharge, with various case studies in Jordan. The motivation behind this study was that many managed aquifer projects have been implemented in Jordan without adequate studies and they have since failed. Examples from Jordan were provided to serve as an illustration of Middle Eastern and North African countries, with their semi-arid to arid climates and increasing demand for water. The methodology included the evaluation of the implemented managed aquifer projects in Jordan and whether they achieved success or failure in fulfilling the purposes of aquifer recharging, as well as to clarify the reasons for the failure or success. The results showed that a minimum level of study must be carried out before starting any artificial recharge projects, such as defining the aquifer parameters and the water quality evolution after recharge, in addition to understanding of the fate of the recharged water. Managed aquifer recharge can alleviate the impacts of climate change by making use of unused water, and in the case of Jordan, it can alleviate the implications of dropping groundwater levels.

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