Effects of groundwater

abstraction and recharge

 Despite significant rainfall and available fresh water,
conflicting demands for groundwater use is likely to
have undesirable side effects
• drying up of shallow wells,
• increasing cost of pumping and
• deterioration of water quality,
• land subsidence,
 The safe yield of an aquifer has been defined by several
authorities as the amount of water that can be
withdrawn from the aquifer without producing an
undesirable result.
• Declining groundwater levels are not by themselves a signal
of overexploitation, but simply an indication that the
groundwater system is not in equilibrium.
• Unless abstraction persistence exceeds recharge a new
equilibrium will be reached, but the time taken will vary and
depends principally on the dimension of the groundwater
system and aquifer parameters.
• Hydro geologically there is no objective measure or definition
of overexploitation.
• Although overexploitation has been usefully defined as a
failure to achieve maximum economic returns to the
resources, applying economic analysis to the study of aquifer
management may not necessarily include a consideration of
the social impact
• aquifer overexploitation may be defined as the situation in
the which, for some years, average aquifer abstraction rate is
greater than or close to the average recharge rate.
consequences of groundwater development
1. Groundwater Level Decline and Decrease in Spring Discharge, River
Baseflow and Wetland Area
• when groundwater is exploited, water levels will decline and continue
to do so until they either stabilize at a lower level or, if abstraction is
persistently greater than recharge, the aquifer is dewatered.
Extended declines can result in the drying-up of s hallow wells,
increased pumping costs, deepen or replace boreholes and, in coastal
areas, saline intrusion.
• In extreme cases the aquifer may be effectively dewatered,
groundwater levels having become so severely depressed that the
aquifer approaches exhaustion. Borehole yields are dramatically
reduced and wholesome abandonment may result.
• The resultant forced reduction in abstraction needs to be severe,
beyond the long term rate of recharge, for water levels to recover,
and this may take many years or even decades to occur. Such impacts
can have severe socio-economic consequences.
 consequences of groundwater
development
2.Land Subsidence
• Groundwater pumping has the effect of decreasing the pore
water pressure and thus increasing the effective stress from
the overlying strata on the matrix of the aquifer.
• When the increase in effective stress is greater than a critical
value, known as the pre-consolidation stress, the sediment
compaction becomes irrecoverable or inelastic.
• Subsidence of heavily pumped rural aquifers can affect
irrigation and natural land drainage by the reversal of surface
topographical gradients but it is in urban areas where the
impact can be most serious.
 consequences of groundwater development
3.Changes in Flow Pattern Leading to Deterioration in Water Quality
• saline intrusion,
• geochemical evolution of groundwater and
• induced pollution
- intrusion of water with dissimilar hydrochemistry can also alter the
physical properties of the aquifer.
e.g changes in porosity and permeability can result from the processes
of consolidating sediments into rock through water-rock interaction.
Such processes can irrevocably damage the fabric and hydraulic
properties of the aquifer.
- Changes induced in the groundwater hydrochemistry due to water-
rock interaction may also have detrimental health impact where the
aquifer is used for potable supply
 ways to help control groundwater
levels
To avoid or at least mitigate the negative side
effects of aquifer exploitation.
• Controlling the quantity of groundwater
abstracted;
• Relocating the abstraction boreholes; and
• Modifying the timing of abstraction.
 Problems with controlling
groundwater abstraction
i. It is often unclear who owns groundwater and, by default,
the landowner often assumes a right of free access and
unlimited use. Given the common pool nature of the
resource and lack of appreciation of its volumetric size or
limits, it is often subject to unrestrained capture with little
or no incentive to conserve or protect.
ii. Even where laws governing ownership and rights to
groundwater exist, the enforcement often lies with
agencies that are under-resourced or with poorly defined
authority.
iii. Economic instrument designed to conserve water or
increase pumping costs can result in greater inequalities.
For example, richer farmers continue to pump because
they can afford to pay while poorer farmers cannot.
 Problems with controlling
groundwater abstraction
iv. One of the principal advantages of groundwater is its
ability to be developed on a small scale, incrementally
and with only modest capital outlay, but in a regulatory
sense this is also its greatest disadvantage. The relative
ease of development compared with a large river or
reservoir scheme can result in many small users of
groundwater, and obtaining a consensus of opinion on
management objectives for the resource and on
enforcing restrictions presents many difficulties.
v. Wider policies of the government which are not
directly related to water management may unwittingly
encourage greater water use. Eg rural electrification,
subsidised solar systems, tax-free pumping systems
PUMPS/PUMPING
• Transmission by pumping is applied in cases
when the water has to be transported
overlarge distances and/or to higher
elevations.
• The pumping head is the total head, and
comprises the static head plus the friction
head loss for the design flow rate.
• The pump to be selected must be able to
provide this head
The head loss corresponding to the design flow rate can be computed
for several pipe diameters using the Darcy- Weisbach eqn
2
fL V
hl 
D 2g
•Each combination of the pumping head and corresponding pipe
diameter should be capable of supplying the required flow rate over the
required distance, and up to the service reservoir.
•Smaller pipe diameters will require a higher pumping head to
overcome the increase in headlosses, and the other way round.
•As a result, one pipe diameter will represent the least-cost choice
taking into account the initial costs (capital investment), maintenance
costs and the energy costs for pumping.

•The total cost, capitalised, is the basis for selecting the most
economical pipe diameter.
Determination of most economical pipe diameter
•The most economical pipe diameter will tend to be large when energy
costs are high, unit costs of pipe low, and capital interest rates low.
•NB, it should not be forgotten that a larger pipe means lower velocity,
i.e. potential water quality problems.
•As a preliminary estimate, the range of possible most economic
diameters can be selected based on velocities around 1 m/s
Types of pumps
•centrifugal,
•axial-flow,
•mixed-flow and
•reciprocating pumps.

The choice of pump will generally depend on its duty in terms of

pumping head and capacity
 Cat 2 make up assignment
• You are incharge of designing a pumping system for a
water supply project. The distance from the pump
house to the overhead reticulation tank is 2km. The
elevation at the pump and tank are 2860m and 3020m
asl respectively and the water source is a borehole with
water level at 120m . the water is to be supplied for a
village of 500 inhabitants, 1000 cows and 2000 goats
with no alternative source of water. Using a product
chart and friction loss tables, demonstrate the
importance of "economic matching principle" in the
selection of optimum water supply system. Clearly
state your assumptions
ARTIFICIAL RECHARGE
• The artificial recharge to ground water aims at
augmentation of ground water reservoir by modifying
the natural movement of surface water utilizing
suitable civil construction techniques.
• Artificial recharge techniques normally address to
following issues -

(i) To enhance the sustainable yield in areas where over-

development has depleted the aquifer.
(ii) Conservation and storage of excess surface water for
future requirements, since these requirements often
changes within a season or a period.
(iii) To improve the quality of existing ground water
through dilution.
(iv) To remove bacteriological and other impurities from
sewage and waste water so that water is suitable for
re-use.
 source water
Four types of source water may be available for
artificial recharge viz.

(i) Insitu precipitation on the watershed.

(ii) Surface (canal) supplies from large reservoirs
located within basin
(iii) Surface supplies through trans basin water
transfer.
(iv) Treated municipal and industrial wastewaters.
 Hydrogeological Mapping
a) Map showing hydrogeological units demarcated on the basis of their water
bearing capabilities, both at shallow and deeper levels.
b) Map showing ground water contours to determine the form of the water
table and the hydraulic connection of ground water with rivers, canals etc.
c) Map showing the depths to the water table are usually compiled for the
periods of the maximum, minimum and mean annual position of water
table.
d) Maps that show amplitudes of ground water level fluctuations and the
maximum position of the water table of considerable importance for
artificial recharge studies.
e) Maps showing piezometric head in deeper aquifers and their variations
with time.
f) Maps showing ground water potential of different hydrogeological units
and the level of ground water development.
g) Maps showing chemical quality of ground water in different aquifers.
 artificial recharge techniques
a. Direct surface techniques
• Flooding
• Basins or percolation tanks
• Stream augmentation
• Ditch and furrow system
• Over irrigation
• ƒ Aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) – injection of water into
a borehole for storage and recovery from the same borehole.
• ƒ Aquifer storage transfer and recovery (ASTR) – injection of
water into a borehole for storage and recovery from a
different borehole, generally to provide additional water
treatment.
• ƒ Bank filtration – extraction of groundwater from a borehole,
well or caisson near or under a river or lake to induce
infiltration from the surface water body thereby improving
and making more consistent the quality of water recovered.
• ƒ Dune filtration – infiltration of water from ponds constructed
in dunes and extraction from boreholes, wells or ponds at
lower elevation for water quality improvement and to
balance supply and demand.
• ƒ Infiltration ponds - ponds constructed usually off-stream
where surface water is diverted and allowed to infiltrate
(generally through an unsaturated zone) to the underlying
unconfined aquifer.
 artificial recharge techniques
b. Direct sub surface techniques
• Injection wells or recharge wells
• Recharge pits and shafts
• Dug well recharge
• Bore hole flooding
• Natural openings, cavity fillings.
c. Combination surface – sub-surface techniques
• Basin or percolation tanks with pit shaft or wells.
d. Indirect Techniques
• Induced recharge from surface water source.
• Aquifer modification.
• Percolation tanks – a term used in India to describe harvesting of
water in storages built in ephemeral streams where water is
detained and infiltrates through the base to enhance storage in
unconfined aquifers and is extracted down-valley for town water
supply or irrigation.
• ƒ Rainwater harvesting – roof runoff is diverted into a borehole, well
or a caisson filled with sand or gravel and allowed to percolate to
the water-table where it is collected by pumping from a borehole or
well.
• ƒ Soil aquifer treatment (SAT) – treated sewage effluent, known as
reclaimed water, is intermittently infiltrated through infiltration
ponds to facilitate nutrient and pathogen removal in passage
through the unsaturated zone for recovery by boreholes after
residence in the aquifer.
•ƒ Sand dams – built in ephemeral streams in arid areas on
low permeability lithology, these trap sediment when flow
occurs, and following successive floods, the sand dam is
raised to create an “aquifer” which can be tapped by
boreholes in dry seasons.
•ƒ Underground dams – in ephemeral streams where
basement highs constrict flows, a trench is constructed
across the streambed keyed to the basement and backfilled
with low permeability material to help retain flood flows in
saturated alluvium for stock and domestic use.
•ƒ Recharge releases – dams on ephemeral streams are used
to detain flood water and uses may include slow release of
water into the streambed downstream to match the capacity
for infiltration into underlying aquifers, thereby significantly
enhancing recharge.
 IMPACT ASSESSMENT
a) Conservation and harvesting of surplus runoff in ground water reservoir
which otherwise was going un-utilised outside the watershed/ basin and to
sea.
b) Rise in ground water levels due to additional recharge to ground water.
c) The ground water structures in the benefitted zone of artificial structures
gains sustainability and the wells provides water in lean month when these
were going dry.
d) The cropping pattern in the benefitted zone will undergo marked change
due to additionality of ground water and cash crops will start growing.
e) Green vegetation cover may increase in the zone of benefit and also along
the structures due to additional availability of soil moisture.
f) The quality of ground water may improve due to dilution.
g) Besides the direct measurable impacts, the artificial recharge schemes will
generate indirect benefit in terms of decrease in soil erosion, improvement
in fauna and flora, influx of migratory birds, etc. Besides, the social and
economic status of farmers of benefitted zone will also substantially
improve due to increase in crop production.