by Leonard Konikow, Ph.D., Groundwater Editor-in-Chief
If you are a member of the Scientists and Engineers Section, you can now view online the Groundwater® September-October 2022 issue. It is a special issue focusing on managed aquifer recharge (MAR). Below I offer a brief overview of what is
in the issue.
In a Guest Editorial, Timothy Parker, William Alley, and Charles Job, the guest editors for the special issue, note that MAR can help provide water supply resiliency for communities and industry, and describe why this special issue of Groundwater is needed, timely, and important.
John Izbicki provides an assessment of The Water Recycling Revolution: Tapping into the Future by William Alley and Rosemarie Alley (2022, Rowman & Littlefield) in a Book Review. He notes the book discusses issues affecting acceptance of
water reuse for public supply and presents the water reuse story through a series of readable case studies aimed at a nontechnical audience.
The issue features three Issue Papers on various topics relating to MAR.
- Gordon McCurry and David Pyne present factors to consider when planning an MAR project, and show that these will help in deciding the type, location, design, and feasibility of the project.
- Llyn Doremus and Job argue that an improved understanding and communication of MAR regulations during MAR design and implementation facilitates water rights and quality protection as well as water supply resiliency.
- C.C. Brand presents a call to action and practical guide for evaluating the economics of MAR systems.
There are two Review Papers as well.
- Parker et al. show the application of geophysics has been proven to cost-effectively assist in the development of successful MAR projects.
- Job reviews low-impact development infiltration technology, which can supplement MAR. He notes low impact development sites and design should be evaluated based on stormwater quality and hydrogeologic conditions before installing the technology to
ensure groundwater quality impacts are addressed.
The issue is then rounded out by nine Case Study Papers from around the world.
- Adriana Palma-Nava et al. review MAR projects for sustainability in the Mexico City metropolitan area and find the existing regulatory framework and the continuous change in water district chairs in charge of the operation and supply of water are
significant barriers to increasing MAR.
- June E. Mirecki reviews aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) operations for ecosystem restoration in the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan in south Florida; improvements to pretreatment system designs are needed for regulatory compliance.
- Grant Snyder et al. describe lessons learned from 18 years of operating experience at a large ASR wellfield for the San Antonio Water System, Texas.
- Wesley Hipke et al. review the development, implementation, operation, and impacts for a large, state operated MAR program in Idaho’s Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer, which is a tool to assist in the long-term sustainable management of this productive
aquifer in southern Idaho.
- Meredith Martinez et al. describe the Sustainable Water Initiative for Tomorrow (SWIFT) MAR program that uses advanced water treatment and recharge wells for aquifer rehabilitation in a confined coastal plain aquifer in eastern Virginia.
- Amitabha Mukhopadhyay et al. analyze a case study in Kuwait and highlight the importance of a field design and operation plan on recovery efficiency of a multi-well artificial recharge system.
- Adam Hutchinson et al. present a case study from the Orange County Groundwater Basin (in California) where investments in MAR have sustained a threefold increase in sustainable pumping, crucial as it is the primary water supply for 2.5 million people.
- Karilyn Heisen et al. demonstrate a successful approach to beneficial use of reclaimed wastewater to protect drinking water supplies with a case study in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
- Greg Woodside et al. show that the application of Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations at Prado Dam has the potential to increase groundwater supplies in Orange County, California.