Engineered Perched Aquifers for Low-Cost Small Water Supplies

This is a variation on the idea of capturing rainwater for water supply.  Most rainwater capture systems use an above-ground cistern to store water captured from roofs.  These supplies are susceptible to contamination by organisms that have relatively easy access to the water.  Alternatively, the water may be captured and stored underground in an engineered perched aquifer.  The water is stored in sand well below the ground surface so the water is filtered by the sand, isolated from surface organisms, and kept cool at depth.  This scheme could be employed anywhere there are easily-excavated materials at the surface.  The impermeable base of the perched aquifer could be a membrane liner or a low-conductivity clay.  If the site topography allows it, the facility may be placed uphill of the tap to make a gravity-fed water supply.  The idea has been piloted successfully with a small-scale gravity-fed water supply system for an off-the-grid cabin.