Aquifer Storage and Recovery: Developing Sustainable Water Supplies

Abstract

In the face of increasing populations and global climate change, communities in many parts of the world face difficulties in obtaining a sustainable, long-term supply of freshwater. Aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) is increasingly being viewed as a way to provide large storage capacity to capture seasonally or intermittently available excess water for later beneficial use. Potential stored waters include desalted and reclaimed water (treated sewage effluent) surplus produced during low-demand periods. ASR is a proven technology, but its implementation has problems. ASR systems vary in their hydrologic value (i.e., the degree to which they achieve useful storage) and, in some instances, have not met expectations or have failed entirely. It is now clear that ASR hydrogeology systems are more complex than originally envisioned. Excessive regulatory requirements unnecessarily increase project costs and adversely impact economic viability. However, the advantages of ASR as a water resource management tool are still compelling. The challenge is to take advantage of lessons learned from recent growth in ASR system construction and research to improve all aspects of ASR implementation and regulation.