Time-lapse gravity monitoring: A systematic 4D approach with application to aquifer storage and recovery

We studied time-lapse gravity surveys applied to the monitoring of an artificial aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) system in Leyden, Colorado. An abandoned underground coal mine has been developed into a subsurface water reservoir. Water from surface sources is injected into the artificial aquifer during winter for retrieval and use in summer. As a key component in the geophysical monitoring of the artificial ASR system, three microgravity surveys were conducted over the course of ten months during the initial water-injection stage. The time-lapse microgravity surveys successfully detected the distribution of injected water as well as its general movement. Quantitative interpretation based on 3D inversions produced hydrologically meaningful density-contrast models and imaged major zones of water distribution. The site formed an ideal natural laboratory for investigating various aspects of time-lapse gravity methodology. Through this application, we have studied systematically all steps of the method, including survey design, data acquisition, processing, and quantitative interpretation.

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Consequences and mitigation of saltwater intrusion induced by short-circuiting during aquifer storage and recovery in a coastal subsurface

Hydrology and Earth System Sciences ◽

10.5194/hess-21-1173-2017 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 21 (2) ◽

pp. 1173-1188 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Koen Gerardus Zuurbier ◽

Pieter Jan Stuyfzand

Keyword(s):

Coastal Aquifers ◽

Saltwater Intrusion ◽

Field Measurements ◽

Variable Density ◽

Aquifer Storage And Recovery ◽

Recovery Efficiency ◽

Aquifer Storage ◽

Solute Transport Modeling ◽

Ambient Groundwater ◽

Asr System

Abstract. Coastal aquifers and the deeper subsurface are increasingly exploited. The accompanying perforation of the subsurface for those purposes has increased the risk of short-circuiting of originally separated aquifers. This study shows how this short-circuiting negatively impacts the freshwater recovery efficiency (RE) during aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) in coastal aquifers. ASR was applied in a shallow saltwater aquifer overlying a deeper, confined saltwater aquifer, which was targeted for seasonal aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES). Although both aquifers were considered properly separated (i.e., a continuous clay layer prevented rapid groundwater flow between both aquifers), intrusion of deeper saltwater into the shallower aquifer quickly terminated the freshwater recovery. The presumable pathway was a nearby ATES borehole. This finding was supported by field measurements, hydrochemical analyses, and variable-density solute transport modeling (SEAWAT version 4; Langevin et al., 2007). The potentially rapid short-circuiting during storage and recovery can reduce the RE of ASR to null. When limited mixing with ambient groundwater is allowed, a linear RE decrease by short-circuiting with increasing distance from the ASR well within the radius of the injected ASR bubble was observed. Interception of deep short-circuiting water can mitigate the observed RE decrease, although complete compensation of the RE decrease will generally be unattainable. Brackish water upconing from the underlying aquitard towards the shallow recovery wells of the ASR system with multiple partially penetrating wells (MPPW-ASR) was observed. This leakage may lead to a lower recovery efficiency than based on current ASR performance estimations.

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Integrated Subsurface Water Solutions for Coastal Wetland Restoration through Integrated Pump&Treat and Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR)

Proceedings ◽

10.3390/proceedings2110665 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2 (11) ◽

pp. 665 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Martha Perdikaki ◽

Andreas Kallioras ◽

Klio Monokrousou ◽

Christoforos Christoforidis ◽

Dimitris Iossifidis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Coastal Wetland ◽

Water Solution ◽

Subsurface Water ◽

Aquifer Storage And Recovery ◽

Groundwater Exploitation ◽

Aquifer Storage ◽

Naturally Occurring ◽

Semi Arid Region ◽

Hydrogeological System ◽

Semi Arid

Un-managed surface and groundwater exploitation in coastal areas usually leads to deterioration of such sensitive ecosystems by means of water resources degradation and/or increased salinity. The coastal partof Marathon is a typical Mediterranean hydro-environment that hosts a naturally occurring coastal wetland linked to a typical coastal and today degraded hydrogeological system of a semi-arid region. A smart engineered Subsurface-Water-Solution (SWS)system composed ofan optimised Pump & Treat componentintegrated with an Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) scheme in this area is envisagedcontribute to the remediationof the groundwater system and the wetland.

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Consequences and mitigation of saltwater intrusion induced by short-circuiting during aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) in a coastal subsurface

10.5194/hess-2016-343 ◽

2016 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Koen Gerardus Zuurbier ◽

Pieter Jan Stuyfzand

Keyword(s):

Coastal Aquifers ◽

Saltwater Intrusion ◽

Field Measurements ◽

Aquifer Storage And Recovery ◽

Recovery Efficiency ◽

Transport Modelling ◽

Aquifer Storage ◽

Ambient Groundwater ◽

Asr System ◽

Lower Recovery

Abstract. Coastal aquifers and the deeper subsurface are increasingly exploited. The accompanying perforation of the subsurface for those purposes has increased the risk of short-circuiting of originally separated aquifers. This study shows how this short-circuiting negatively impacts the freshwater recovery efficiency (RE) during aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) in coastal aquifers. ASR was applied in a shallow saltwater aquifer overlying a deeper saltwater aquifer, which was targeted for seasonal aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES). Although both aquifers were considered properly separated, intrusion of deeper saltwater into the shallower aquifer quickly terminated the freshwater recovery. The presumable pathway was a nearby ATES borehole. This finding was supported by field measurements, hydrochemical analyses, and SEAWAT transport modelling. The potentially rapid short-circuiting during storage and recovery can reduce the RE of ASR to null. When limited mixing with ambient groundwater is allowed, a linear RE decrease by short-circuiting with increasing distance from the ASR well within the radius of the injected ASR-bubble was observed. Interception of deep short-circuiting water can mitigate the observed RE decrease, although complete compensation of the RE decrease will generally be unattainable. Brackish water upconing from the underlying aquitard towards the shallow recovery wells of the MPPW-ASR system was observed. This "leakage" may lead to a lower recovery efficiency than based on current ASR performance estimations.

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Experimental observations of aquifer storage and recovery in brackish aquifers using multiple partially penetrating wells

Hydrogeology Journal ◽

10.1007/s10040-021-02347-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Lilli Witt ◽

Moritz J. Müller ◽

Maike Gröschke ◽

Vincent E. A. Post

Keyword(s):

Numerical Models ◽

Time Lapse ◽

Design Criterion ◽

Aquifer Storage And Recovery ◽

Vertical Wells ◽

Buffer Zones ◽

Upward Migration ◽

Aquifer Storage ◽

Operational Variables ◽

Freshwater Bodies

AbstractAquifer storage and recovery systems using multiple partially penetrating wells (MPPW-ASR) can form a viable solution to the problem of freshwater buoyancy when using brackish aquifers for freshwater storage. This study presents the result of a series of laboratory experiments that aimed at visualizing the shape of freshwater bodies injected into a brackish aquifer and determining the effect on the recovery efficiency (RE) of several MPPW-ASR operational variables. A model aquifer was built in a Plexiglas tank using glass beads and water was injected and abstracted through point and vertical wells, which were operated in various combinations. Numerical models were used to support the interpretation of the time-lapse photographs, and showed that three-dimensional flow effects had to be considered for a correct interpretation of the visible dye patterns. Upward migration of both fresh (during injection) and brackish water (during recovery) along the vertical wells was observed, indicating that the role of well infrastructure as conduits is a critical design criterion for real-world systems. Gravitational instabilities formed when freshwater did not extend all the way to the top of the aquifer, and this negatively impacted the RE by causing greater mixing. The positive freshwater buoyancy led to freshwater bodies that became narrower with depth, and the formation of thin, elongated buffer zones along the aquifer top in multicycle experiments. Up-coning below abstraction wells resulted in lower RE values, reinforcing the potential of scavenger wells to enhance MPPW-ASR system performance.

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Aquifer Storage and Recovery in Layered Saline Aquifers: Importance of Layer-Arrangements

Water ◽

10.3390/w13182595 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (18) ◽

pp. 2595

Author(s):

Hongkai Li ◽

Yu Ye ◽

Chunhui Lu

Keyword(s):

Potable Water ◽

Saline Water ◽

Saline Aquifers ◽

Aquifer Storage And Recovery ◽

Geometric Means ◽

Aquifer Storage ◽

Permeable Layer ◽

Multiple Cycle ◽

The Difference ◽

Asr System

Aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) refers to injecting freshwater into an aquifer and later withdrawing it. In brackish-to-saline aquifers, density-driven convection and fresh-saline water mixing lead to a reduced recovery efficiency (RE, i.e., the volumetric ratio between recovered potable water and injected freshwater) of ASR. For a layered aquifer, previous studies assume a constant hydraulic conductivity ratio between neighboring layers. In order to reflect the realistic formation of layered aquifers, we systematically investigate 120 layered heterogeneous scenarios with different layer arrangements on multiple-cycle ASR using numerical simulations. Results show that the convection (as is reflected by the tilt of the fresh-saline interface) and mixing phenomena of the ASR system vary significantly among scenarios with different layer arrangements. In particular, the lower permeable layer underlying the higher permeable layer restricts the free convection and leads to the spreading of salinity at the bottom of the higher permeable layer and early salt breakthrough to the well. Correspondingly, the RE values are different among the heterogeneous scenarios, with a maximum absolute RE difference of 22% for the first cycle and 9% for the tenth cycle. Even though the difference in RE decreases with more ASR cycles, it is still non-negligible and needs to be considered after ten ASR cycles. The method to homogenize the layered heterogeneity by simply taking the arithmetic and geometric means of the hydraulic conductivities among different layers as the horizontal and vertical hydraulic conductivities is shown to overestimate the RE for multiple-cycle ASR. The outcomes of this research illustrate the importance of considering the geometric arrangement of layers in assessing the feasibility of multiple-cycle ASR operations in brackish-to-saline layered aquifers.

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Cache Valley aquifer storage and recovery-site assessment for Millville City, Cache County, Utah

10.34191/ofr-636 ◽

2014 ◽

Keyword(s):

Aquifer Storage And Recovery ◽

Site Assessment ◽

Aquifer Storage ◽

Cache Valley ◽

Cache County

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Potential for Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) in South Bihar, India

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13063502 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (6) ◽

pp. 3502

Author(s):

Somnath Bandyopadhyay ◽

Aviram Sharma ◽

Satiprasad Sahoo ◽

Kishore Dhavala ◽

Prabhakar Sharma

Keyword(s):

Pilot Study ◽

Environmental Sustainability ◽

Hard Rock ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Aquifer Storage And Recovery ◽

Aquifer Recharge ◽

Aquifer Storage ◽

Cropping Season ◽

Selection Of ◽

Surface Technique

Among the several options of managed aquifer recharge (MAR) techniques, the aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) is a well-known sub-surface technique to replenish depleted aquifers, which is contingent upon the selection of appropriate sites. This paper explores the potential of ASR for groundwater recharge in the hydrological, hydrogeological, social, and economic context of South Bihar in India. Based on the water samples from more than 137 wells and socio-economic surveys, ASR installations were piloted through seven selected entrepreneurial farmers in two villages of South Bihar. The feasibility of ASR in both hard rock and deep alluvial aquifers was demonstrated for the prominent aquifer types in the marginal alluvial plains of South Bihar and elsewhere. It was postulated through this pilot study that a successful spread of ASR in South Bihar can augment usable water resources for agriculture during the winter cropping season. More importantly, ASR can adapt to local circumstances and challenges under changing climatic conditions. The flexible and participatory approach in this pilot study also allowed the farmers to creatively engage with the design and governance aspects of the recharge pit. The entrepreneurial farmers-led model builds local accountability, creates avenues for private investments, and opens up the space for continued innovation in technology and management, while also committing to resource distributive justice and environmental sustainability.

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