Methods of In Situ Assessment of Infiltration Rate Reduction in Groundwater Recharge Basins

Abstract

As an alternative to the use of tracers, easy-to-measure soil moisture dynamic parameters (e.g., water content) provide in situ estimates of the infiltration rate reduction state of a soil medium. For instance, managed aquifer recharge operations control the hydraulic state of their infiltration basins by measuring the infiltrated volume under constant head conditions. Instantaneous profile measurement systems can be used to manage the basins by determining the reduction of the infiltration rate over time. This study combines the empirical methods of Libardi, the self-developed water content and root mean square difference-based procedures and the trigger time method, to get a similar reproduction of tracer results from river water spreading basins. The methods based on water content showed a good fitting in comparison to the results obtained with the tracer experiment and represent a promising source for detecting changes in the flow impedance during infiltration events.

Modelling Projected Changes in Soil Water Budget in Coastal Kenya under Different Long-Term Climate Change Scenarios

“…This will reduce the surface runoff giving water time to percolate through the vadose zone [96,97]. Other means of intentional managed aquifer recharge (MAR) suitable for ASALs characterised by hot climates, low rainfall and strong potential evaporation include spreading methods (infiltration ponds/inter-dune ponds-especially along the coastal areas like Lamu), in-channel modifications, open wells, shafts and trenches, borehole recharge and rainwater harvesting, e.g., soakaways from roof-top catchments particularly in highly populated areas [1,[98][99][100]. Another alternative would be to use better agricultural practices like drip irrigation during the dry seasons or planting drought-resistant crops that do not require large volumes of water.…”

“…Groundwater resources are critical for human activities such as domestic consumption, agricultural uses and industrial processes. Of these resources, the most precious groundwater is found in the soil (soil water) for use of the crops and the vegetation as well as in deep aquifers that usually contain less contaminants [1]. The unsaturated zone in the soil profile (referred to as the vadose zone) is an integral component of the hydrological cycle that directly influences processes such as infiltration, surface runoff, evapotranspiration, interflow, residence time of aquifer recharge and water table fluctuations thus providing a complex system for the simulation of water movement into aquifers [2,3].…”

Improving clogging predictions at managed aquifer recharge sites: a quantitative assessment on the vertical distribution of intrusive fines

“…In the current state of the art of MAR clogging surveillance, instantaneous profile measurement systems of water content have been developed to accurately monitor reductions in infiltration capacity in the field (Barquero et al 2019). Geophysical monitoring in MAR sites can track infiltration pathways by time-lapse electrical resistivity tomography (De Carlo et al 2020;Nenna et al 2014;Ulusoy et al 2015).…”

Biological and Physical Clogging in Infiltration Wells: Effects of Well Diameter and Gravel Pack

“…In sandy aquifers, physical clogging by clay to silt-sized turbids mainly affects the immediate well-aquifer interface as the particles mostly block the pores in the first centimeters of the porous media (Barquero et al 2019). With regard to biological clogging, Mostafa and van Geel (2007) conducted laboratory column experiments revealing that biological clogging is also restricted to the first few centimeters from the entering point of the nutrient-rich water.…”