Artificial Groundwater Recharge
Science Center Objects
Groundwater levels are declining across the country as our withdrawals exceed the rate of aquifers to naturally replenish themselves, called recharge. One method of controlling declining water levels is by using artificial groundwater recharge. The USGS monitors wells to evaluate the effect of groundwater depletion and recharge, and provides vital information to those who depend on groundwater resources.
BACKGROUND
Artificial recharge is the practice of increasing the amount of water that enters an aquifer through human-controlled means. For example, groundwater can be artificially recharged by redirecting water across the land surface through canals, infiltration basins, or ponds; adding irrigation furrows or sprinkler systems; or simply injecting water directly into the subsurface through injection wells.
Natural groundwater recharge occurs as precipitation falls on the land surface, infiltrates into soils, and moves through pore spaces down to the water table. Natural recharge also can occur as surface-water leakage from rivers, streams, lakes, and wetlands.
Artificial recharge can be done through injection of water through wells. This method often is applied to recharge deep aquifers where application of water to the land surface are not effective at recharging these aquifers.
AQUIFER STORAGE AND RECOVER
Aquifer storage and recovery is a water-storage technique applied by water-resource managers and scientists worldwide. Essentially, it involves storage of available water through wells completed into aquifers, with subsequent retrieval from these same wells during dry periods. Recovery of water stored in these wells greatly benefits environmental, agricultural, and urban uses.
RELATED USGS RESEARCH
The USGS has played an active role in artificial recharge studies dating back to 19051. Based on the number of current studies, USGS investigations of aquifer storage and recovery are just as essential today as they were 100 years ago.
- What is Aquifer Storage and Recovery?
- Historical Overview of Hydrologic Studies of Artificial Recharge in the USGS
- USGS Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
- Aquifer Recharge and Aquifer Storage and Recovery (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)
- Aquifer Storage and Recovery Fact Sheet (U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency)
- An Introduction to Artificial Recharge (The National Academies of Press)
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Date published: October 24, 2018Status: ActiveThe Effects of Artificial Recharge on Nitrate Concentrations in Groundwater in the Joshua Tree Subbasin, California
The Joshua Basin Water District (JBWD) is implementing an artificial groundwater recharge program to reverse the decline of groundwater levels and to store water in the Joshua Tree groundwater subbasin of the Morongo groundwater basin (~100 mi east of Los Angeles, CA).
Contacts: David O'LearyAttribution: States and Territories, California Water Science Center -
Date published: October 24, 2018Status: ActiveSubsidence from Aquifer-Storage and Recovery in the East Bay Plain
The East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) has proposed to store and recover as much as 10 million gallons of water per day (MGD) at an aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) site, the Bayside Groundwater Project. Water will be stored in a 100-ft sequence of coarse-grained sediment (the "Deep Aquifer") underlying the East Bay Plain and the adjacent Niles Cone ground-water basin.
Contacts: Michelle SneedAttribution: States and Territories, California Water Science Center
Feasibility and potential effects of the proposed Amargosa Creek Recharge Project, Palmdale, California
Historically, the city of Palmdale and vicinity have relied on groundwater as the primary source of water, owing, in large part, to the scarcity of surface water in the region. Despite recent importing of surface water, groundwater withdrawal for municipal, industrial, and agricultural use has resulted in groundwater-level declines near the city...
Christensen, Allen H.; Siade, Adam J.; Martin, Peter; Langenheim, Victoria E.; Catchings, Rufus D.; Burgess, Matthew K.
Implications of rate-limited mass transfer for aquifer storage and recovery
Pressure to decrease reliance on surface water storage has led to increased interest in aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) systems. Recovery efficiency, which is the ratio of the volume of recovered water that meets a predefined standard to total volume of injected fluid, is a common criterion of ASR viability. Recovery efficiency can be degraded...
Culkin, Sean L.; Singha, Kamini ; Day-Lewis, Frederick D.
Review of Aquifer Storage and Recovery Performance in the Upper Floridan Aquifer in Southern Florida
Introduction: Interest and activity in aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) in southern Florida has increased greatly during the past 10 to 15 years. ASR wells have been drilled to the carbonate Floridan aquifer system at 30 sites in southern Florida, mostly by local municipalities or counties located in coastal areas. The primary storage zone at...
Reese, Ronald S.
Evolving issues and practices in managing ground-water resources: Case studies on the role of science
Hydrologic stresses throughout the 20th century and presently (2003) have caused the depletion and degradation of our Nation’s vital ground-water resources in many areas. Management strategies have been and are being implemented to optimize use of our ground-water resources with respect to achieving sustainability while mitigating the consequences...
Galloway, Devin L.; Alley, William M.; Barlow, Paul M.; Reilly, Thomas E.; Tucci, Patrick
U.S. Geological Survey artificial recharge workshop proceedings, April 2-4, 2002, Sacramento, California
Aiken, George R.; Kuniansky, Eve L.
Sustainability of ground-water resources
The pumpage of fresh ground water in the United States in 1995 was estimated to be approximately 77 billion gallons per day (Solley and others, 1998), which is about 8 percent of the estimated 1 trillion gallons per day of natural recharge to the Nation's ground-water systems (Nace, 1960). From an overall national perspective, the ground-water...
Alley, William M.; Reilly, Thomas E.; Franke, O. Lehn
Annotated bibliography on artificial recharge of ground water, 1955-67
Artificial ground-water recharge has become more important as water use by agriculture, industry, and municipalities increases. Water management agencies are increasingly interested in potential use of recharge for pollution abatement, waste-water disposal, and re-use and reclamation of locally available supplies. Research projects and theoretical...
Signor, Donald C.; Growitz, Douglas J.; Kam, William
Annotated bibliography on artificial recharge of ground water through 1954
Todd, David Keith-
Date published: April 5, 2016Soil-Water-Balance (SWB) for estimating groundwater recharge
The Soil-Water-Balance (SWB) model has been developed to allow estimates of potential recharge to be made quickly and easily. The code calculates components of the water balance at a daily time-step by means of a modified version of the Thornthwaite-Mather soil-moisture-balance approach.
Attribution: Upper Midwest Water Science Center
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Date published: June 25, 2018Backcountry Travel for Science: Studying the Source of Groundwater in the Grand Canyon
When you think of a day in the life of a scientist, adventure may not be the first thing that comes to mind. However, many scientists find themselves in amazing locations where collecting data is physically challenging.
Attribution: Utah Water Science Center -
Date published: March 9, 2017How Well Do You Know Groundwater
Groundwater, which flows out of sight through aquifers beneath our feet, is one of the Nation’s most important natural resources. In recognition of National Groundwater Awareness Week, March 5–11, 2017, here’s an opportunity to put your knowledge of this vital resource to the test!
Attribution: Water Resources -
Date published: July 18, 2016Water Quality Nearly Unchanged by Artificial Recharge Activities in Wichita
Study shows water quality minimally affected in nearby streams and groundwater
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Date published: January 22, 2015USGS Groundwater Toolbox: A New Way to Analyze Hydrologic Data
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has released a convenient and informative new method for the analysis of groundwater and surface-water hydrologic data called the Groundwater (GW) Toolbox.
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How important is groundwater?
Groundwater, which is in aquifers below the surface of the Earth, is one of the Nation's most important natural resources. Groundwater is the source of about 37 percent of the water that county and city water departments supply to households and businesses (public supply). It provides drinking water for more than 90 percent of the rural population... -
What is groundwater?
Groundwater is water that exists underground in saturated zones beneath the land surface. The upper surface of the saturated zone is called the water table. Contrary to popular belief, groundwater does not form underground rivers. It fills the pores and fractures in underground materials such as sand, gravel, and other rock, much the same way that...