About the Resources
The Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) Team finalized the production of a Technical Guidance Document and Training that evaluates the potential uses of MAR, the factors for the safe and successful implementation and innovative characterization, and modeling tools to appropriately place MAR infrastructure in December 2023. The MAR team established reference sites where technologies and tools for monitoring managed aquifer recharge systems, groundwater quality, characterizing sub-surface geology and modeling/visualization software could be assessed for Project Management teams and Stakeholders. Applying appropriately scaled model tools for cost-effectiveness and site complexity could provide the decision-maker with the right tool for the job with confidence in achieving desired project outcomes.
Background
In the United States, groundwater is a major resource, with 41% of the population relying on it for drinking water, which supplies freshwater for irrigation, domestic use, public use, industrial, and mining (NGWA, 2020). Groundwater accumulates overtime from rain or other precipitation, and so the availability of groundwater depends on the amount of precipitation an area receives, which can fluctuate depending on the time of the year. Groundwater depletion occurs when the natural replenishment process is too slow for the demands of a groundwater aquifer. Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) is a man-made process of groundwater replenishment that involves injecting water into aquifer recharge wells. Augmenting groundwater storage through managed recharge into aquifers represents a cost-effective way to increase the availability of source water, act as a barrier to saltwater intrusion, or serve as a method to stabilize the water table in stressed systems. MAR is a growing practice in response to water scarcity concerns and remedial driven withdrawals. Advanced modeling tools are infrequently utilized at the regulatory level due to the barriers of education, experience, cost, and time. There is a need to examine and standardize innovative recharge infrastructure that could be applied for aquifer recharge and to define the appropriate geological settings and tools for characterization and design.