Abstract

Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR), is a novel technique involving artificially recharging and storing water into an aquifer and recovering it when required at times of drought. Recharge water can also raise water table levels in aquifers that are connected to rivers, thus having the potential to augment low river flows. Urban environments have a large impermeable area and as a result, significant proportion of rainfall is converted into runoff.

This study explores the opportunity and feasibility of using MAR in an urban setting with urban runoff as the recharge water. Stormwater must be captured, stored and pre-treated before being recharged into the subsurface and, therefore, a Sustainable Drainage System (SuDS) is included in a SuDS/MAR conjunctive scheme integrated into an urban setting. A case study in South London is examined to determine potential challenges in implementing such a scheme.

This work is carried out for the “Urban Flood Resilience in an Uncertain Future” research project (http://www.urbanfloodresilience.ac.uk/) under Work Package II: “Stormwater as a Resource”.