2012 NGWA Ground Water Summit: Innovate and Integrate

As water scarcity compels improved management of groundwater, aquifers are increasingly viewed as water reservoirs rather than natural resources. Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) and aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) systems are being increasingly used to mitigate some of the impacts of dwindling drinking water supplies. What technical roadblocks exist to the expanded use of MAR and ASR and how can they be overcome? For example, changes to water quality (degradation as well as improvement) must be understood and controlled by process design and by monitoring recharge and recovered water. Policy and regulations must evolve to allow efficient and sensible management, while increasing the annual and long-term capacity to store and recover water underground. Technical and policy challenges facing MAR and ASR, and potential solutions, are the subject of this session.