Augmenting Groundwater Supplies Using Rain Water Harvesting

Artificial recharge can play an important role in water resources management, especially where it leads to supplying ground water during times of drought, improving water quality, abating increasing pumping levels or mitigating subsidence. Most artificial recharge projects are conducted by a water management agency at a very large scale, usually with significant infrastructure. However, in rural and poorly developed areas, especially ones with monsoon type climates, storing roof and hardscape runoff underground using small systems could increase the availability of water during the dry part of the year. Small but widely distributed artificial recharge systems could be beneficial in some urban settings. In fact, some countries already encourage this. This paper will discuss the principles of water harvesting for artificial recharge, desirable hydrogeological characteristics, important physical, chemical and biological processes, as well as the limitations to implementation, including some institutional obstacles.