Potential Adoption of Managed Aquifer Recharge Systems in the Corn Belt Region

Abstract

Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) is a technique for improving groundwater recharge and maintaining aquifer levels to support water storage for water treatment systems and irrigation for agricultural production or other water needs. MAR is an effective buffer against future fluctuations in water demand, drought, and climate change. MAR systems include bank filtration, infiltration ponds/galleries, percolation tanks, and aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) wells (Page et al. 2018; Dillon et al. 2019; Alam et al. 2021). In the United States, MAR system use has increased for several reasons including water shortages, greater need for reliable seasonal water sources, and favorable costs (Bray 2020; Page et al. 2018; Pyne 2005). Dillon et al. (2019) report that average annual total MAR volume in the United States was 2,569 million cubic meters (MCM)/year in 2015. However, wider adoption of MAR systems has been hindered by uncertainty in determining appropriate site conditions and MAR method (Alam et al. 2021), lack of economic data (Maliva 2014), and legal, policy, and/or environmental issues (Bray 2020).