Optimization of a Managed Aquifer Recharge Network

Abstract

Over the last few decades, groundwater resources in many regions have been depleted at a faster rate than the underlying aquifers have been replenished. This imbalance has led water management agencies to consider managed aquifer recharge networks, where infiltration basins are used to replenish the aquifers using previously-uncaptured storm water runoff. In this work, we utilize optimization to evaluate the costs associated with constructing such a network and the ability of the network to meet demands placed on the aquifer. Our objective function incorporates land and construction costs, along with rewards for effective aquifer recharge. We enforce capture of a minimum volume of storm water runoff by penalizing the cost. We present results for two basin networks, one based on results from the literature and another based on a study of the Pajaro Valley region in California. ThePajaro Valley example is used as our realistic test case, and we use the analysis to suggest the viability of a managed aquifer recharge network in a particular sub-watershed associated with the area.