Artificial recharge of groundwater: hydrogeology and engineering

Artificial recharge of groundwater is achieved by putting surface water in basins, furrows, ditches, or other facilities where it infiltrates into the soil and moves downward to recharge aquifers. Artificial recharge is increasingly used for short- or long-term underground storage, where it has several advantages over surface storage, and in water reuse. Artificial recharge requires permeable surface soils. Where these are not available, trenches or shafts in the unsaturated zone can be used, or water can be directly injected into aquifers through wells. To design a system for artificial recharge of groundwater, infiltration rates of the soil must be determined and the unsaturated zone between land surface and the aquifer must be checked for adequate permeability and absence of polluted areas. The aquifer should be sufficiently transmissive to avoid excessive buildup of groundwater mounds. Knowledge of these conditions requires field investigations and, if no fatal flaws are detected, test basins to predict system performance. Water-quality issues must be evaluated, especially with respect to formation of clogging layers on basin bottoms or other infiltration surfaces, and to geochemical reactions in the aquifer. Clogging layers are managed by desilting or other pretreatment of the water, and by remedial techniques in the infiltration system, such as drying, scraping, disking, ripping, or other tillage. Recharge wells should be pumped periodically to backwash clogging layers. Electronic supplementary material to this paper can be obtained by using the Springer LINK server located at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10040-001-0182-4. Electronic Publication     

Clogging mechanisms and preventive measures in artificial recharge systems

Groundwater which occurs in fractured rock or porous aquifers or other geological weak zones such as faults and fractures is usually extracted via boreholes, hand wells or other sources such as springs.Water scarcity has become a severe problem due to many factors, such as an alarming increase in population and per capita water consumption, over exploitation of groundwater resources and abrupt global climatic change along with its related eco-environmental geological problems. In such situation, application of artificial recharge systems(e.g. surface recharge basin and deep injection well systems) can help to effectively manage and augment the unitization of groundwater resources. However, the clogging problem,which may be caused by a complex interdependent mechanisms of physical, chemical and biological has been a challenge for the efficacy and the implementation of recharge facilities. Clogging can reduce the permeability, recharge rate and longevity of recharge facilities and increase the operational and maintenance costs. Major influencing factors associated with the occurrence of clogging include the chemical composition of groundwater(both the recharge water and native groundwater), aquifer medium and microbial diversity, together with other environmental factors such as temperature, pressure, total dissolved solids, total soluble salts, pH, Eh, nutrients, gases, carbonates and others; these factors ultimately increase the piezometric head but reduce the permeability and infiltration rates of porous/seepage media.Pretreatment of recharge water can minimize the potential clogging. In the case of clogged wells,rehabilitation methods need to be deployed. In the meantime, there is an urgent needs to understand the basic causes and developmental processes/mechanisms of clogging in order to mitigate this problem. This paper reviews the major clogging mechanisms and their possible preventive measures and redevelopments in artificial recharge systems.     

Use of remote sensing, GIS and groundwater monitoring to estimate artificial groundwater recharge in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

This study aims to estimate artificial recharge of groundwater by using remote sensing technology, geographical information systems, and groundwater surveys. This study is part of the King Fahd project for rainfall and runoff water harvesting, within the premises of Alilb Dam in Diriyah to the west of Riyadh. Digital elevation models were obtained with the help of aerial photography from the year 2007. These models were used to delineate watershed. Average rainfall was calculated using isoheytal method, and the area of each of the storage lakes was measured using SPOT 5 satellite images from 2007. Fluctuations in groundwater levels, evaporation, and infiltration rates were used to determine the water balance for the purpose of estimating of artificial recharge. Artificial recharge rates were found to surpass natural recharge from rainfall. Recharge wells caused a reduction in the effect of evaporation on storage lakes and helped in supplying water to the groundwater reservoir. Moreover, 80% and 86% of the rainwater was found to be available for artificial recharge in Alilb at 2005 and 2007, respectively. The study recommends the establishment of strategic projects for water storage using artificial recharge wells, an increase in the number of monitoring wells around the dams, and the monitoring of hydrochemical changes in groundwater both before and after the artificial recharge. It also recommends the erection of a weather station in the northwest of Wadi Hanifa.     

基于TOUGH2数值模拟软件的延津地区热储采灌研究

本文采用TOUGH2数值模拟软件,根据研究区对井在预设情景下运转30年的模拟结果,对河南省延津县下新近系热储层压力场、温度场进行模拟,在模型验证的基础上,对不同回灌率及不同采灌井间距工况进行模拟研究,结果显示:回灌井的回灌过程会使地下水水温降低,回灌时间越长水温降低幅度越大,影响范围也越大,根据模拟抽水井和回灌井不同间距条件下(55 m、150 m、250 m、300 m)温度场变化情况,建议区域下新近系地层地热回灌项目抽水井和回灌井间距应大于等于250m,以保证抽水井出水温度;而不同回灌率工况下分析化学场和压力场的模拟数据可以看出,回灌率越大,地热水水质、压力影响越大,基本呈线性关系。为区域地热资源回灌-开采提供示范和指导。     

城市雨水地下回灌过程中悬浮物表面堵塞规律

雨洪资源地下回灌是缓解城市供水压力、解决地下水过量开采引起环境负效应的有效途径之一,但堵塞问题却是制约回灌技术推广的关键问题。基于前人理论,研究了入渗介质与悬浮物粒径中值之比(D₅₀/d₅₀)对堵塞层空间分布的影响。以建立表面堵塞预测模型为目的,利用城市雨水回灌细粒石英砂介质开展室内实验,观测雨水回灌的表面堵塞过程并获取渗透性变化的观测数据。根据物理、化学与生物堵塞的产生条件及堵塞特点,判断雨水回灌产生的堵塞性质为物理堵塞。引入过滤模型描述堵塞的发展过程,确定了模型用于模拟细砂表面堵塞的参数值：孔隙堵塞系数（α）为0.15 m²/kg,阻力增长系数（f′R′）为20 000 m/kg。在不改变以上2个参数值的条件下,用该模型模拟不同悬浮物粒径悬浊水回灌细粒石英砂的堵塞过程,取得了较好的拟合效果。此过滤模型可以用于模拟入渗介质与悬浮物粒径D₅₀/d₅₀值小于5的表面堵塞的发展过程,可定量预测堵塞对回灌速率的影响。     

地下水位抬升对人工回灌中悬浮物堵塞的影响

为了研究人工回灌条件下地下水位抬升对悬浮颗粒在含水层中的迁移-沉积的影响机理,在室内模拟实验中,采用100 mg/L的金刚砂悬浊水回灌中粒石英砂介质,分别研究了不同抬升速率(0、2、4cm/h)条件下人工回灌过程中的悬浮物堵塞规律。实验结果表明:地下水位抬升速率对堵塞位置和堵塞位置处悬浮物的级配影响不大,悬浮物主要淤积在0~2cm深度处;在26h前地下水位抬升引起的入渗量比地下水位固定的入渗量小,在26h后二者相反;水位抬升使介质表层堵塞发展速度减慢,非堵塞层渗流状态出现非饱和时刻滞后;在堵塞层0~2cm处地下水位抬升使堵塞速率小于地下水位固定的堵塞速率。     

Chemical and mechanical clogging of groundwater abstraction wells at well field Heel,the Netherlands

Well field Heel, in the south east of the Netherlands, consists of a row of wells drilled in an anoxic pyrite-containing aquifer alongside a former gravel pit, which now serves as a recharge basin, where water is actively aerated. All wells are seriously affected by chemical (screen slot) and/or mechanical (well bore) clogging. The objective of this study is to explain this combined occurrence. A combination of chemical, hydraulic and well-maintenance data indicate three groundwater quality types: (1) oxic basin water, (2) anoxic iron-containing basin water after oxidation of the traversed aquifer, and (3) deeply anoxic native groundwater. Wells abstracting a mixture of oxic basin water and anoxic basin water and/or native groundwater experience chemical well clogging, whereas wells abstracting (only or partly) native groundwater are vulnerable to mechanical well clogging. In the end, after oxic basin water has completely oxidized the traversed the aquifer, only two groundwater quality types will be present. Wells abstracting only oxic basin water will show no clogging, and wells abstracting a mixture of native groundwater and oxic basin water will experience chemical and possibly also mechanical well clogging. In this reasoning, the sequence in abstracted groundwater quality types coincides with a sequence in well clogging: from mechanical to chemical to no clogging. As well field Heel is situated in sloping terrain, the interplay between regional hydraulic gradient and different water qualities results in one-sided chemical clogging in the upper part of the well screen during abstraction, and in the lower part during the resting phase.     

Hydraulic evaluation of aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) with urban stormwater in a brackish limestone aquifer

A 5-year aquifer storage and recovery trial at Andrews Farm in South Australia involving the injection of more than 250 ML (250,000 m³) of fresh but turbid stormwater into a brackish limestone aquifer over 4 years and recovery of 150 ML in the fifth provided the opportunity to evaluate rates of clogging and unclogging and the potential to recover water suitable for irrigation supplies. Results reveal there is some clogging by injected sediment, but only to a relatively small degree considering the high suspended solid concentrations and moderate aquifer transmissivity. This clogging was offset by increased matrix porosity through calcite dissolution and by routine well redevelopments after each 40 ML of injection. No significant microbial clogging occurred. Breakthrough responses at three observation wells and the proportion of injectant in the recovered water were determined from chloride data. Temperature and caliper profiles clearly indicate the heterogeneous nature of the aquifer that is attributed, in part, to sand removal during the initial well development. The recovery efficiency was greater than 60%. The trial demonstrates that urban stormwater containing high and variable particulate levels, which receives only passive pre-treatment and is not disinfected, can be used to freshen a heterogeneous brackish aquifer to create a useful water resource.     

Numerical investigation of small- and medium-diameter drain wells to stabilise deep landslides

The stabilisation of deep landslides is still a challenge for geotechnical engineers, mainly due to the high cost of structural control works that generally lead engineers to opt for drain systems. Unfortunately there are operative difficulties affecting excavation of deep drain trenches in soils dislocated by landslides (especially as regards the provisional support of the excavation walls). Small- and medium-diameter wells are a valid alternative in deep landslides, being less expensive than large-diameter wells equipped with horizontal pipes and simpler to construct than deep trenches. However, no technical procedures for their proper design are reported in the literature: design criteria commonly used in practice are derived from pumping problems and are largely inadequate, being based on Dupuit’s hypothesis that presumes stream lines to be horizontal. This paper presents numerical solutions obtained from three-dimensional seepage and consolidation analyses of a slope drained by small- and medium-diameter wells, arranged according to various positions, showing that the efficiency of the well system decreases as the depth of the landslide slip surface increases. Comparison is also made between well systems and deep trenches occupying the same draining volume in the landslide body, showing that the former attains much greater efficiency than the latter. Non-dimensional abaci for the square grid of wells (which is the most effective arrangement) are reported herein to be used for practical purposes.

     

Numerical simulation of a managed aquifer recharge system designed to supply drinking water to the city of Amsterdam,The Netherlands

Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) is increasingly used to secure drinking water supply worldwide. The city of Amsterdam (The Netherlands) depends largely on the MAR in coastal dunes for water supply. A new MAR scheme is proposed for the production of 10 × 10⁶ m³/year, as required in the next decade. The designed MAR system consists of 10 infiltration ponds in an artificially created sandbank, and 25 recovery wells placed beneath the ponds in a productive aquifer. Several criteria were met for the design, such as a minimum residence time of 60 days and maximum drawdown of 5 cm. Steady-state and transient flow models were calibrated. The flow model computed the infiltration capacity of the ponds and drawdowns caused by the MAR. A hypothetical tracer transport model was used to compute the travel times from the ponds to the wells and recovery efficiency of the wells. The results demonstrated that 98% of the infiltrated water was captured by the recovery wells which accounted for 65.3% of the total abstraction. Other sources include recharge from precipitation (6.7%), leakages from surface water (13.1%), and natural groundwater reserve (14.9%). Sensitivity analysis indicated that the pond conductance and hydraulic conductivity of the sand aquifer in between the ponds and wells are important for the infiltration capacity. The temperature simulation showed that the recovered water in the wells has a stable temperature of 9.8–12.5 °C which is beneficial for post-treatment processes. The numerical modelling approach is useful and helps to gain insights for implementation of the MAR.

     

地热对井运行系统中回灌井堵塞原因浅析及预防措施

人工回灌做为提高地热资源利用率、防止地面沉降、减少尾水排放、实现地热资源的可持续利用的最有效手段,已在地学界达成共识。基岩岩溶裂隙型热储对井回灌取得的良好效果使人们看到了回灌技术的广阔应用前景,但有些热储尤其是孔隙型热储回灌量的衰减问题一直未能得到彻底解决,各种因素引起的堵塞是主要原因。本文根据天津市历年的回灌试验,就造成地热回灌堵塞的多种原因进行了分析,并提出了可能的解决办法。     

回灌与回扬物理过程的解析推导及灌压变化规律

以回灌过程中渗透系数衰减模型为基础,推导了不同回扬次数的渗透系数解析表达式;将其应用于Theis公式,获得了考虑渗透系数衰减以及暂时性堵塞率条件下回灌与回扬物理过程中含水层压强的解析表达式,更准确地刻画了回灌与回扬的物理机制。计算结果表明：在连续回灌不回扬过程中,井内灌压增长符合指数曲线特征,而采取回扬措施后,由指数连续上升转变为间断式阶梯上升;回扬次数越多,灌压下降越明显,但灌压变化幅度随回扬次数的递增而减小。根据解析解定义的两种堵塞率的结果,可以实现利用实验判断不同成分回灌水源对含水层堵塞机理的分析,从而达到科学制定回灌水源标准的目的。     

Sources of oxygen flux in groundwater during induced bank filtration at a site in Berlin, Germany

The microbial degradation of pharmaceuticals found in surface water used for artificial recharge is strongly dependent on redox conditions of the subsurface. Furthermore the durability of production wells may decrease considerably with the presence of oxygen and ferrous iron due to the precipitation of trivalent iron oxides and subsequent clogging. Field measurements are presented for oxygen at a bank filtration site in Berlin, Germany, along with simplified calculations of different oxygen pathways into the groundwater. For a two-dimensional vertical cross-section, oxygen input has been calculated for six scenarios related to different water management strategies. Calculations were carried out in order to assess the amount of oxygen input due to (1) the infiltration of oxic lake water, (2) air entrapment as a result of water table oscillations, (3) diffusive oxygen flux from soil air and (4) infiltrating rainwater. The results show that air entrapment and infiltrating lake water during winter constitute by far the most important mechanism of oxygen input. Oxygen input by percolating rainwater and by diffusive delivery of oxygen in the gas phase is negligible. The results exemplify the importance of well management as a determining factor for water oscillations and redox conditions during artificial recharge.     

Effects of rainwater-harvesting-induced artificial recharge on the groundwater of wells in Rajasthan, India

In light of the increasing deterioration of groundwater supplies in Rajasthan, India, rainwater harvesting practices in southern Rajasthan were studied to determine the effects of artificially recharged groundwater on the supply and quality of local groundwater. A physical and geochemical investigation utilizing environmental tracers (δ¹⁸O and Cl^–), groundwater level and groundwater quality measurements, and geological surveys was conducted with two objectives: (1) to quantify the proportion of artificially recharged groundwater in wells located near rainwater harvesting structures and (2) to examine potential effects of artificial recharge on the quality of groundwater in these wells. A geochemical mixing model revealed that the proportion of artificial recharge in these wells ranged from 0 to 75%. Groundwater tracer, water table, and geological data provided evidence of complex groundwater flow and were used to explain the spatial distribution of artificial recharge. Furthermore, wells receiving artificial recharge had improved groundwater quality. Statistical analysis revealed a significant difference between the water quality in these wells and wells determined not to receive artificial recharge, for electrical conductivity and SO ₄ ^– . The findings from this study provide quantitative evidence that rainwater harvesting structures in southern Rajasthan influence the groundwater supply and quality of nearby wells by artificially recharging local groundwater.     

Assessment of copper,cobalt and zinc contaminations in soils and plants of industrial area in Esfahan city (in Iran)

This paper discusses the artificial groundwater recharge effect of high-infiltration basins. For this purpose, the hydrogeological parameters of the study area are collected to construct a conceptualized physical model. The TOUGH2 numerical simulation software is then used to simulate the infiltration behavior of an artificial recharge into an underground aquifer. Four wells (MW-1, MW-2, MW-3, and MW-4) are observed at the field site, after which the groundwater levels are compared with the simulation results. It is found that good agreement exists between the observed and numerical data for MW-1 and MW-2. However, the observed groundwater level in MW-3 is higher than the simulated level. We also find that MW-3 is at the edge of the artificial recharge lake, and that the high groundwater level may well be the result of a portion of the infiltration load following the well border into the well screen. Conversely, the groundwater level in MW-4 is found to be lower than in the simulated well due to local permeability in the well location. Finally, the numerical results predict that the groundwater level will attain a steady state at approximately 47 h after the onset of infiltration.     

北京市永定河地下水库水资源储蓄能力研究

北京市永定河冲洪积扇中上部,具备建设地下水库的基本条件。本文在确定永定河地下水库水资源人工补给方式的基础上,分析了各方式的入渗能力,提出了地下水库的人工补给方案,利用地下水数值模拟的预测结果和有效储水率计算公式,首次研究了地下水库的储水能力,分析了永定河地下水库的水资源补给效果。结果表明,永定河地下水库水资源人工补给能力最大可达18．93m^3／s,回灌地表水2．42×108m^3的情况下地下水位最大回升32m,地下水储存量增加2．09×108m^3,回灌后1年和5年的有效蓄水率分别为78．6％和46．8％,北京永定河地下水库具有较好水资源回灌能力、储存能力,地下水人工调蓄能够起到明显的效果。     

太行山前平原非河道条件下地下调蓄功能实验研究--以滹沱河冲洪积平原为例

摘要：通过实验研究探讨了太行山前平原地下调蓄能力,实验研究表明,在汇水坑渗、井灌和引水渠渗条件下,太行山前冲洪积平原地下调蓄功能不仅与地表积水深度、入渗时间有关,而且还与汇水总量的多少有关。单位时间渗漏量的大小与地表蓄水深度呈正相关关系。地表蓄水深度愈大,单位时间渗漏量愈大;累计渗漏量随着入渗时间的延长而增加,渗漏速率随着累计渗漏量的增加而减小。采用井灌方式进行地下调蓄的关键,是选择具有强渗透性的层位。     

Iron-hydroxide clogging of public supply wells receiving artificial recharge: near-well and in-well hydrological and hydrochemical observations

Clogging of water wells by iron-hydroxide incrustations due to mixing of anoxic and oxic groundwater is a common well-ageing problem. The relation between well operation (on and off), the spatial and temporal variations in hydrochemistry outside and inside a supply well, and the distribution of clogging iron-hydroxides were studied in an artificial recharge well field in the Netherlands. Camera inspection, high-resolution multi-level water sampling outside the well and detailed in-well pH/EC/O₂ profiles revealed remarkable patterns. During pumping, the top of the upper well screen abstracted oxic filtrate, although the larger part of the in-well water column was anoxic. The column rapidly turned oxic after shutdown due to a downward short-circuiting of oxic water via the well. Within 15 d it became anoxic due to the slow advance of anoxic lake filtrate created by local changes in flow direction as the neighboring wells continued to pump. Severe clogging occurred where the oxic filtrate entered the well, while half-clogging of the upper well screen occurred due to less inflow of oxic filtrate on the lake side. Transport of iron flocs and bacterial slimes after shutdown seemed to clog the lower part of the well screen. Frequent on/off switching should be avoided in iron-clogged wells.     

New system for the assessment of annual groundwater recharge from rainfall in the United Arab Emirates

In this study, the first groundwater recharge map for United Arab Emirates (UAE) was developed using the recharge potential and water table fluctuation methods. Recharge potential estimates were made using information about infiltration rate, soil type, ground slope, geological and hydrogeological factors, and the availability of rainfall harvesting infrastructure and were validated by measurements of water table rise in alluvial aquifers in wadis. Based on this information, the total recharge in the UAE is estimated to be about 133 million cubic meters per year (MCM/year). Annual recharge rates are calculated to vary between 1 and 28% of precipitation in the different regions of UAE depending on several natural and manmade parameters including, among others, recharge enhancing infrastructure. Estimates from the two methods are 98% in agreement; which suggests that the recharge potential method is suitable for estimating aquifer’s recharge in UAE and arid regions. The water table fluctuation method was found to be more suitable for assessing recharge through gravel plains and wadis in mountainous areas.     

基于环境同位素技术的河水补给研究——以沈阳黄家傍河水源地为例

河水入渗补给是傍河水源地的主要补给来源,确定河水补给强度对于促进水源地长期安全的开采具有十分重要的意义。以沈阳黄家水源地为研究区,通过对比研究区河水、地下水的水化学及氢氧稳定同位素特征,分析了水源地地下水的补给来源及强度。结果表明:傍河水源地地下水主要接受河水的入渗补给和区域地下水的侧向补给;受河床沉积物和含水介质的岩性及结构在空间上的差异影响,河水入渗补给后在向地下水位漏斗中心流动的过程中具有浅层和深层两条地下水流路径,深层地下水与河水的水力联系更为紧密;河水对地下水的补给强度具有明显的时空变化特点,表现为雨季河水入渗强度明显大于旱季,并且随着与辽河距离的增加,水源地地下水获得的河水补给量呈逐渐减小的趋势。