AQUIFER STORAGE AND RECOVERY AND THE DEVELOPMEMT OFSUSTAINABLE WATER SUPPLIES

摘要

Communities in many parts of the world are facing increasing difficulties in obtaining arnsustainable, long-term supply of freshwater in the face of increasing populations and, perhaps,rnalso global climate change. Aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) is increasingly being lookedrnupon to provide large volumes of storage to capture seasonally or intermittently available excessrnwater for later beneficial use. ASR is a proven technology, but its implementation has not beenrnfree of problems. ASR systems vary in their hydrologic value (i.e., the degree to which theyrnachieve useful storage) and, in some instances, have either not met expectations or have failedrnentirely. It is now clear that the hydrogeology of ASR systems, such as the effects of aquiferrnheterogeneity and water-rock interactions, are more complex than originally envisioned.rnExcessive regulatory requirements unnecessarily increase project costs and adversely impact therneconomic viability of projects. However, the advantages of ASR as a tool for water resourcesrnmanagement are still compelling. The challenge moving forward is to take advantage of thernlessons learned from the recent explosive growth in ASR system construction and research inrnorder to improve upon all aspects of the implementation and regulation of ASR.