GROUNDWATER RECHARGE

THROUGH ARTIFICIAL
TECHNIQUES

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CONTENTS

• WHAT IS GROUNDWATER RECHARGE?

• REQUIREMENT FOR ARTIFICIAL RECHARGE
• PLANNING OF ARTIFICIAL RECHARGE PROJECTS
• ARTIFICIAL RECHARGE TECHNIQUES
• ADVANTAGES OF ARTIFICIAL RECHARGE

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 WHAT IS GROUNDWATER RECHARGE
• THE ARTIFICIAL RECHARGE OF GROUNDWATER AIMS AT INCREASE OF
GROUNDWATER BY MODIFYING THE NATURAL MOVEMENT OF SURFACE
WATER BY UTILIZING SUITABLE CIVIL CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES.
• ARTIFICIAL RECHARGE IS THE PROCESS BY WHICH THE GROUNDWATER IS
AUGMENTED AT A RATE MUCH HIGHER THAN THOSE UNDER NATURAL
CONDITION OF REPLENISHMENT.

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 REQUIREMENT FOR ARTIFICIAL
RECHARGE

THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS FOR ARTIFICIAL RECHARGE ARE:

• AVAILABILITY OF NON-COMMITTED SURPLUS MONSOON RUNOFF.
• IDENTIFICATION OF SUITABLE HYDROGEOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT
AND SITES FOR CREATING SUBSURFACE RESERVOIR THROUGH COST
EFFECTIVE ARTIFICIAL RECHARGE TECHNIQUES.

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 PLANNING OF ARTIFICIAL RECHARGE
PROJECTS

IDENTIFICATION OF AREA:
• AREAS WHERE GROUND WATER LEVELS ARE DECLINING ON REGULAR
BASIS.
• AREAS WHERE SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF AQUIFER HAS ALREADY
BEEN DESATURATED.
• AREAS WHERE AVAILABILITY OF GROUND WATER IS INADEQUATE IN
LEAN MONTHS.
• AREAS WHERE SALINITY INGRESS IS TAKING PLACE.

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 SCIENTIFIC INPUTS

HYDRO METEOROLOGICAL STUDIES:

• RAINFALL AMOUNT, DURATION, DAILY AND HOURLY RAINFALL
INTENSITY AND VARIABILITY OF RAINFALL.
• THE DATA ON RAINFALL INTENSITY, NUMBER OF RAINY DAYS, ETC.
HELP IN DECIDING CAPACITY AND DESIGN OF ARTIFICIAL RECHARGE
STRUCTURES.

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HYDROLOGICAL STUDIES:
• SOURCE WATER AVAILABILITY.
• INFILTRATION CHARACTERISTICS OF MAJOR SOIL TYPES.
• VARIOUS LAND USE CATEGORIES.

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GEOPHYSICAL STUDIES
• THICKNESS OF WEATHERED ZONE IN HARD ROCKS.
• STRATIFICATION OF AQUIFER SYSTEM.
• VARIABILITY IN HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY.

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 HYDROGEOLOGICAL STUDIES
• BEHAVIOUR OF GROUNDWATER LEVELS.
• GROUNDWATER FLOW PATTERN
• HYDRAULIC CONNECTION BETWEEN GROUNDWATER AND SURFACE
WATER BODIES.

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 ARTIFICIAL RECHARGE TECHNIQUES
SELECTION OF SUITABLE ARTIFICIAL RECHARGE TECHNIQUE DEPENDS ON
VARIOUS FACTORS SUCH AS:
• AMOUNT OF NON-COMMITTED SURFACE RUNOFF AVAILABLE FOR RECHARGE.
• RAINFALL PATTERN.
• LAND USE AND VEGETATION.
• TOPOGRAPHY AND TERRAIN PROFILE.
• SOIL TYPE AND ITS DEPTH.
• THICKNESS OF WEATHERED ZONES.
• INFRASTRUCTURAL FACILITIES AVAILABLE.
• ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECOLOGICAL IMPACTS OF RECHARGE SCHEME
PROPOSED.
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ARTIFICIAL RECHARGE TECHNIQUES

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 FLOODING

• FOR LANDS ADJOINING RIVERS IN WHICH WATER LEVELS REMAIN

DEEP EVEN AFTER MONSOONS.
• IT REQUIRES A SYSTEM OF DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL FOR THE SUPPLY
OF WATER FOR FLOODING.
• LEAST EXPENSIVE OF ALL ARTIFICIAL RECHARGE METHODS AVAILABLE
AND HAS VERY LOW MAINTENANCE COSTS.
• HIGHER RATE OF VERTICAL INFILTRATION IS OBTAINED ON AREAS
WITH UNDISTURBED VEGETATION AND SANDY SOIL COVERING.
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 RECHARGE BASINS

• ARTIFICIAL RECHARGE BASINS ARE COMMONLY CONSTRUCTED PARALLEL TO

CANALS OR SURFACE WATER SOURCES.
• IN ALLUVIAL AREAS, MULTIPLE RECHARGE BASINS CAN BE CONSTRUCTED
PARALLEL TO THE STREAMS WITH A VIEW TO:
 INCREASE THE WATER CONTACT TIME
 REDUCE SUSPENDED MATERIAL AS WATER FLOWS FROM ONE BASIN TO
ANOTHER
 FACILITATE PERIODIC MAINTENANCE SUCH AS SCRAPING OF SILT ETC. TO
RESTORE THE INFILTRATION RATES BY BYPASSING THE BASIN UNDER
RESTORATION.
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 DITCH AND FURROW METHOD

• IT INVOLVES CONSTRUCTION OF SHALLOW, FLAT-BOTTOMED AND

CLOSELY SPACED DITCHES OR FURROWS TO PROVIDE MAXIMUM
WATER CONTACT AREA FOR RECHARGE.
• DITCHES SHOULD HAVE ADEQUATE SLOPE TO MAINTAIN FLOW
VELOCITY AND MINIMUM DEPOSITION OF SEDIMENTS.
• THE WIDTHS OF THE DITCHES ARE TYPICALLY IN THE RANGE OF 0.30
TO 1.80 M.

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 INJECTION WELLS OR RECHARGE
WELLS
• STRUCTURES SIMILAR TO A TUBE WELL BUT WITH THE PURPOSE OF
AUGMENTING THE GROUNDWATER STORAGE.
• SUPPLY OF WATER EITHER UNDER GRAVITY OR UNDER PRESSURE.
• ARTIFICIAL RECHARGE OF AQUIFERS BY INJECTION WELLS CAN ALSO
BE DONE IN COASTAL REGIONS TO REDUCE SALINE WATER
INGRESSION.

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 RECHARGE PITS AND SHAFTS

• RECHARGE PITS AND SHAFTS ARE ARTIFICIAL RECHARGE STRUCTURES

COMMONLY USED FOR RECHARGING SHALLOW UNCONFINED
AQUIFERS, WHICH ARE NOT IN HYDRAULIC CONNECTION WITH
SURFACE WATER DUE TO THE PRESENCE OF IMPERMEABLE LAYERS.

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 RECHARGE PITS

• RECHARGE PITS ARE NORMALLY EXCAVATED PITS.

• SUFFICIENTLY DEEP TO PENETRATE THE LOW-PERMEABILITY LAYERS
OVERLYING THE UNCONFINED AQUIFERS.
• THEY ARE SIMILAR TO RECHARGE BASINS IN PRINCIPLE, WITH THE
ONLY DIFFERENCE BEING THAT THEY ARE DEEPER.

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 RECHARGE SHAFTS

• RECHARGE SHAFTS ARE SIMILAR TO RECHARGE PITS BUT ARE

CONSTRUCTED TO AUGMENT RECHARGE INTO AQUIFERS WHERE
WATER LEVELS ARE MUCH DEEPER.
• THEY ARE MUCH SMALLER IN CROSS SECTION WHEN COMPARED TO
RECHARGE PITS.

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 DUG WELL RECHARGE

• THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF DUG WELLS WHICH HAVE EITHER GONE

DRY OR THE WATER LEVELS HAVE DECLINED CONSIDERABLY.
• THESE DUG WELLS CAN BE USED AS STRUCTURES TO RECHARGE.
• THE STORM WATER, TANK WATER, CANAL WATER ETC. CAN BE
DIVERTED INTO THESE STRUCTURES TO DIRECTLY RECHARGE THE DRIED
AQUIFER.

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• THE RECHARGE WATER IS GUIDED THROUGH A PIPE TO THE BOTTOM
OF WELL, BELOW THE WATER LEVEL TO AVOID SCOURING OF
BOTTOM AND ENTRAPMENT OF AIR BUBBLES IN THE AQUIFER.
• THE QUALITY OF SOURCE WATER INCLUDING THE SILT CONTENT
SHOULD BE SUCH THAT THE QUALITY OF GROUND WATER RESERVOIR
IS NOT DETERIORATED.

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 INDUCED RECHARGE

• IT IS AN INDIRECT METHOD OF ARTIFICIAL RECHARGE INVOLVING

PUMPING FROM AQUIFER HYDRAULICALLY CONNECTED WITH
SURFACE WATER SUCH AS PERENNIAL STREAMS, UNLINED CANAL OR
LAKES.
• THE HEAVY PUMPING LOWERS THE GROUNDWATER LEVEL AND CONE
OF DEPRESSION IS CREATED . LOWERING OF WATER LEVELS
INDUCES THE SURFACE WATER TO REPLENISH THIS GROUND WATER .
• THIS METHOD IS EFFECTIVE WHERE STREAM BED IS CONNECTED TO
AQUIFER BY SANDY FORMATION .
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ADVANTAGES OF ARTIFICIAL RECHARGE

• TO ENHANCE THE GROUNDWATER YIELD IN DEPLETED THE AQUIFER

DUE TO URBANIZATION .
• CONSERVATION AND STORAGE OF EXCESS SURFACE WATER FOR
FUTURE REQUIREMENTS.
• TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF EXISTING GROUNDWATER THROUGH
DILUTION.

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 REFERENCES

• GUIDE ON ARTIFICIAL RECHARGE TO GROUND WATER, CENTRAL

GROUND WATER BOARD, MAY 2000
• MANUAL ON ARTIFICIAL RECHARGE OF GROUND WATER, CENTRAL
GROUND WATER BOARD, SEPT 2007

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THE END

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