scholarly journals Opportunities and challenges for implementing managed aquifer recharge models in drought-prone Barind tract, Bangladesh

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Md. Iquebal Hossain ◽  
Md. Niamul Bari ◽  
Md. Shafi Uddin Miah
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Recharge ◽  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Managed Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Storm Water ◽  
Water Runoff ◽  
Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Check Dams ◽  
Supplementary Irrigation ◽  
Barind Tract

AbstractThis study focuses on the Barind tract, a drought prone area situated in the north-west region of Bangladesh where inadequate rainfall and limited surface water have created high dependence on groundwater for irrigation and other purposes, leading to significant declines in groundwater level. Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) offers a potential solution to restore groundwater levels. This study sets out to identify the opportunities and challenges for implementing MAR in the Barind tract. To accomplish this aim, different data sets including bore log lithology, rainfall, groundwater levels, information about re-excavated ponds, dighis, kharies, beels, check dams, rubber dams, dug wells and other necessary information were collected from the Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) and other sources and analyzed. Major opportunities for MAR are identified for about 2000 km of re-excavated kharies (canals) containing about 750 check dams, more than 3000 re-excavated ponds, a number of beels (comparatively large marshes) and other water bodies which are used to conserve runoff storm water for supplementary irrigation. The conserved water can be used for groundwater recharge and subsequently abstracted for irrigation. Furthermore, roof-top rain water from buildings can also be used for groundwater recharge purposes. In contrast, the major challenges include the high turbidity of storm water runoff leading to clogging of MAR structures, inadequacy of conventional direct surface methods of recharge due to the presence of a 15 m or more thick upper clay layer with limited percolation capacity, and lack of practical knowledge on MAR. Therefore, overcoming the challenges for MAR application is a prerequisite to maximize the opportunities from MAR that can support the sustainable use of groundwater resources.

Focused groundwater recharge in a dryland environment: hydrometric and isotopic evidence from central Tanzania

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Seddon ◽  
Japhet J. Kashaigili ◽  
Richard G. Taylor ◽  
Mark O. Cuthbert ◽  
Lucas Mihale ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Recharge ◽  
Surface Waters ◽  
Poverty Alleviation ◽  
Managed Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Ephemeral Stream ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Semi Arid

<p>Groundwater, and its replenishment via recharge, is critical to livelihoods and poverty alleviation in drylands of sub-Saharan Africa and beyond, yet the processes by which groundwater is replenished remain inadequately observed and resolved. Here, we present three lines of evidence, from an extensively-monitored wellfield in central semi-arid Tanzania, indicating focused groundwater recharge occurring via leakage from episodic, ephemeral stream discharges. First, the duration of ephemeral streamflow observed from daily records from 2007 to 2016 correlates strongly (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.85) with the magnitude of groundwater recharge events observed and estimated from piezometric observations. Second, high-resolution (hourly) monitoring of groundwater levels and stream stage, established in advance of the 2015-16 El Niño, shows the formation and decay of groundwater mounds beneath episodically inundated adjacent streambeds. Third, stable-isotope ratios of O and H of groundwater and precipitation as well as perennial and ephemeral surface waters trace the origin of groundwater to ephemeral stream discharges. The identification and characterisation of focused groundwater recharge have important implications not only, locally, for protecting and potentially augmenting replenishment of a wellfield supplying the capital of Tanzania through Managed Aquifer Recharge but also, more widely, in understanding and modelling groundwater recharge in dryland environments.</p>

scholarly journals Monitoring and modeling infiltration-recharge dynamics of managed aquifer recharge with desalinated seawater

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yonatan Ganot ◽  
Ran Holtzman ◽  
Noam Weisbrod ◽  
Ido Nitzan ◽  
Yoram Katz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Model ◽  
Groundwater Recharge ◽  
Multiple Scales ◽  
Pressure Sensors ◽  
Managed Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Analytical Models ◽  
Low Permeability ◽  
Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Infiltration Rates

Abstract. We study the relation between surface infiltration and groundwater recharge during managed aquifer recharge (MAR) with desalinated seawater in an infiltration pond, at the Menashe site that overlies the northern part of the Israeli Coastal Aquifer. We monitor infiltration dynamics at multiple scales (up to the scale of the entire pond) by measuring the ponding depth, sediment water content and groundwater levels, using pressure sensors, single-ring infiltrometers, soil sensors and observation wells. During a month (January 2015) of continuous intensive MAR (2.45 · 106 m3 discharged to a 10.7 hectare area), groundwater level has risen by 17 m attaining full connection with the pond, while average infiltration rates declined by almost 2 orders of magnitude (from ~ 11 to ~ 0.4 m d−1). This reduction can be explained solely by the lithology of the unsaturated zone that includes relatively low-permeability sediments, whereas clogging processes at pond-surface – abundant in many MAR operations – are negated by the high-quality desalinated seawater or negligible compared to the low-permeability layers. Recharge during infiltration was estimated reasonably well by simple analytical models, whereas a numerical model was used for estimating groundwater recharge after the end of infiltration. It was found that a calibrated numerical model with a one-dimensional representative sediment profile is able to capture MAR dynamics, including temporal reduction of infiltration rates, drainage and groundwater recharge. Measured infiltration rates of an independent MAR event (January 2016) fitted well to those calculated by the calibrated numerical model, showing the model validity. The successful quantification methodologies of the temporal groundwater recharge are useful for MAR practitioners and can serve as an input for groundwater flow models.

scholarly journals Monitoring and modeling infiltration–recharge dynamics of managed aquifer recharge with desalinated seawater

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
pp. 4479-4493 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yonatan Ganot ◽  
Ran Holtzman ◽  
Noam Weisbrod ◽  
Ido Nitzan ◽  
Yoram Katz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Model ◽  
Groundwater Recharge ◽  
Multiple Scales ◽  
Pressure Sensors ◽  
Managed Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Analytical Models ◽  
Low Permeability ◽  
Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Infiltration Rates

Abstract. We study the relation between surface infiltration and groundwater recharge during managed aquifer recharge (MAR) with desalinated seawater in an infiltration pond, at the Menashe site that overlies the northern part of the Israeli Coastal Aquifer. We monitor infiltration dynamics at multiple scales (up to the scale of the entire pond) by measuring the ponding depth, sediment water content and groundwater levels, using pressure sensors, single-ring infiltrometers, soil sensors, and observation wells. During a month (January 2015) of continuous intensive MAR (2.45  ×  106 m3 discharged to a 10.7 ha area), groundwater level has risen by 17 m attaining full connection with the pond, while average infiltration rates declined by almost 2 orders of magnitude (from  ∼  11 to  ∼  0.4 m d−1). This reduction can be explained solely by the lithology of the unsaturated zone that includes relatively low-permeability sediments. Clogging processes at the pond-surface – abundant in many MAR operations – are negated by the high-quality desalinated seawater (turbidity  ∼  0.2 NTU, total dissolved solids  ∼  120 mg L−1) or negligible compared to the low-permeability layers. Recharge during infiltration was estimated reasonably well by simple analytical models, whereas a numerical model was used for estimating groundwater recharge after the end of infiltration. It was found that a calibrated numerical model with a one-dimensional representative sediment profile is able to capture MAR dynamics, including temporal reduction of infiltration rates, drainage and groundwater recharge. Measured infiltration rates of an independent MAR event (January 2016) fitted well to those calculated by the calibrated numerical model, showing the model validity. The successful quantification methodologies of the temporal groundwater recharge are useful for MAR practitioners and can serve as an input for groundwater flow models.

scholarly journals Enhancing geological and hydrogeological understanding of the Precipice Sandstone aquifer of the Surat Basin, Great Artesian Basin, Australia, through model inversion of managed aquifer recharge datasets

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 175-192
Author(s):  
Phil Hayes ◽  
Chris Nicol ◽  
Andrew D. La Croix ◽  
Julie Pearce ◽  
Sebastian Gonzalez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Managed Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Model Inversion ◽  
Artesian Basin ◽  
Geological Interpretation ◽  
Great Artesian Basin

AbstractThe Precipice Sandstone is a major Great Artesian Basin aquifer in the Surat Basin, Queensland, Australia, which is used for water supply and production of oil and gas. This report describes use of observed groundwater pressure responses to managed aquifer recharge (MAR) at a regional scale to test recent geological descriptions of Precipice Sandstone extent, and to inform its hydrogeological conceptualisation. Since 2015, two MAR schemes have injected over 20 GL of treated water from coal seam gas production into the Precipice Sandstone, with pressure responses rapidly propagating over 100 km, indicating high aquifer diffusivity. Groundwater modelling of injection and inversion of pressure signals using PEST software shows the spatial variability of aquifer properties, and indicates that basin in-situ stresses and faulting exert control on permeability. Extremely high permeability, up to 200 m/day, occurs in heavily fractured regions with a dual-porosity flow regime. The broader-scale estimates of permeability approach an order of magnitude higher than previous studies, which has implications for the management of water resources in the Precipice Sandstone. Results also show the Precipice Sandstone to have broadly isotropic permeability. The results also support a recent geological interpretation of the Precipice Sandstone as having more limited lateral extent than initially considered. The study shows the effective use of MAR injection data to improve geological and hydrogeological understanding through groundwater model inversion. It also demonstrates the utility of combining hydrogeological and reservoir-engineer datasets in areas explored and developed for both groundwater resources and oil and gas resources.

Hydrogeological controls on groundwater recharge in a weathered crystalline aquifer: A case study from the Makutapora groundwater basin, Tanzania

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emanuel Zarate ◽  
Alan MacDonald ◽  
Russell Swift ◽  
Jonathan Chambers ◽  
Japhet Kashaigili ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Recharge ◽  
Crucial Role ◽  
Numerical Models ◽  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Crystalline Rock ◽  
Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Crystalline Aquifer ◽  
Geophysical Surveys ◽  
Groundwater Basin ◽  
Semi Arid

<p>Drylands (semi-arid/arid regions) represent >35% of the Earth’s surface, support a population of around 2 billion people, and are forecast to be increasingly water stressed in coming decades. Groundwater is the most reliable source of water in drylands, and it is likely that the structure and hydraulic properties of superficial geology play a crucial role in controlling groundwater recharge in these regions.  However, the spatio-temporal hydrogeological controls on the rates of groundwater recharge, and their sensitivity to environmental change are poorly resolved.</p><p>In the Makutapora groundwater basin (Tanzania), an analogue for semi-arid tropical areas underlain by weathered and fractured crystalline rock aquifers, we conducted a series of geophysical surveys using Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) and frequency domain electromagnetic methods (FDEM). Using these data, in conjunction with borehole logs, we identify and delineate five major lithological units in the basin: 1) Superficial deposits of coarse sand (>200 Ω m) 2) Highly conductive smectitic clays (1-10 Ω m) 3) Decomposed pedolitic soils (30-100 Ω m) 4) Weathered saprolite (100-700 Ω m) and 5) Fractured granitic basement (>700 Ω m). We also identify 10-50m wide zones of normal faulting extending across the basin and cutting through these units, interpreted with the aid of analysis of a digital elevation model alongside the geophysics data.</p><p>These results are combined with existing long-term hydrological and hydrogeological records to build conceptual models of the processes governing recharge. We hypothesise that: 1) Zones of active faulting provide permeable pathways enabling greater recharge to occur; 2) Superficial sand deposits may act as collectors and stores that slowly feed recharge into these fault zones; 3) Windows within layers of smectitic clay underlying ephemeral streams may provide pathways for focused recharge via transmission losses; and 4) Overbank flooding during high-intensity precipitation events that inundate a greater area of the basin increases the probability of activating such permeable pathways.</p><p>Our results suggest that configurations of superficial geology may play a crucial role in controlling patterns, rates and timing of groundwater recharge in dryland settings. They also provide a physical basis to improve numerical models of groundwater recharge in drylands, and a conceptual framework to evaluate strategies (e.g. Managed Aquifer Recharge) to artificially enhance the availability of groundwater resources in these regions.</p>

scholarly journals Identifying potential sites for artificial groundwater recharge using GIS and AHP techniques: A case study of Erbil basin, Iraq

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omeed H. Al-Kakey ◽  
◽  
Arsalan A. Othman ◽  
Broder J. Merkel ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Recharge ◽  
Sustainable Management ◽  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Coefficient Of Determination ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Artificial Groundwater Recharge ◽  
Runoff Water ◽  
Thematic Layers

Excessive extraction, uncontrolled withdrawal of groundwater, and unregulated practices have caused severe depletion of groundwater resources in the Erbil basin, Iraq. This situation has had a number of negative consequences on human settlement, agricultural activities, clean water supply, and the environment. Runoff harvesting and artificial groundwater recharge play a significant role in the sustainable management of water resources, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions. This study aims to: (1) delineate groundwater recharge zones using multiple thematic layers that control the groundwater recharge process, and (2) identify prospective sites and structures to perform artificial groundwater recharge. In order to generate a potential map for groundwater recharge zones, seven thematic layers are considered in this study, namely, topographic position index, geomorphology, lithology, land cover, slope, drainage-length density, and lineament-length density. After that, the analytic hierarchy process was applied to weight, rank, and reclassify these seven thematic layers. All maps are then integrated within the ArcGIS environment for delineating groundwater recharge zones. Accordingly, the resulting map categorizes the study area into five zones: extremely high, high, moderate, low, and extremely low potential for groundwater recharge. As expected, areas along the Greater Zab river show the highest possibility for groundwater recharge. Likewise, rugged eastern hills demonstrate an encouraging capacity for artificial aquifer recharge, whereas the least effective area is represented by built-up land. Based on the generated map, two dams are proposed as promising artificial recharge structures for harvesting runoff water east of Erbil city. Lastly, the resulting map of the potential groundwater recharge zones is verified using static water level data, where the coefficient of determination (R2) achieved a satisfactory result (0.73). These findings provide crucial evidence for implementing a sustainable management plan of surface and groundwater resources. The applied method is eventually valid for regions where appropriate and adequate field data availability is a serious issue.

Monitoring managed aquifer recharge with electrical resistivity probes

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. T155-T166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa Nenna ◽  
Adam Pidlisecky ◽  
Rosemary Knight
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Resistivity ◽  
Pore Pressure ◽  
Water Saturation ◽  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Early Time ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Managed Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Hydraulic Gradients

The use of managed aquifer recharge (MAR) to supplement groundwater resources can mitigate the risks to an aquifer in overdraft. However, limited information on subsurface properties and processes that control groundwater flow may lead to low levels of recapture of infiltrated water, reducing the efficacy of MAR operations. We used long 1D electrical resistivity probes to monitor the subsurface response over one diversion season at five locations beneath an operating recharge pond in northern California. The experiment demonstrated the benefits of integrating geophysical and standard hydrologic measurements. The water table response interpreted from time-lapse electrical resistivity images was in good agreement with traditional pore-pressure transducer measurements at coincident locations. Moreover, the electrical resistivity measurements were able to identify vertical variations in water saturation that would not have appeared in pore-pressure data alone. Changes in saturation estimated from electrical resistivity models indicated large hydraulic gradients at early time and suggested the presence of highly permeable conduits and baffles between the surface and the screened interval of recovery wells. The interpreted structure of these conduits and baffles would contribute to the movement of a large amount of infiltrated water beyond the capture zone of recovery wells before pumping begins, accounting in part for the low recovery rates.

scholarly journals Application of modified managed aquifer recharge model for groundwater management in drought-prone water-stressed Barind Tract, Bangladesh

2021 ◽  
pp. 100173
Author(s):  
Md. Iquebal Hossain ◽  
Md. Niamul Bari ◽  
Shafi Uddin Miah ◽  
Abdulla-Al Kafy ◽  
N.M. Refat Nasher
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Management ◽  
Managed Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Barind Tract
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