Background:
Groundwater is a critically important source of water in the U.S., supplying fresh water for drinking supplies, agricultural irrigation, and streams, rivers, and ecosystems. However, groundwater is becoming increasingly depleted in most aquifers around the country, with impacts including shrinking aquifer storage capacities, land subsidence (and associated impacts like higher flood risk), and declining freshwater resources for communities and ecosystems. To mitigate and reverse the depletion of groundwater storage in local aquifers, many communities are turning to managed aquifer recharge (MAR) and aquifer storage and recovery (ASR). MAR and ASR practices vary depending on local geology, groundwater and recharge water composition, local land use practices, and water use requirements. Implementing MAR and ASR requires careful planning to both maximize groundwater replenishment and protect groundwater supplies from contamination.

Our speakers are:

• Timothy K. Parker, PG, CEG, CHG. Principal Hydrogeologist, Parker Groundwater | Slides  | Video
• Graham Fogg, Professor of Hydrogeology, University of California, Davis | Slides  | Video
• Van Kelley, Senior VP, Principal Hydrogeologist, Intera Geoscience & Engineering Solutions | Slides  | Video

Thank you to our media partners, the American Geophysical Union, American Institute of Professional Geologists, American Meteorological Society, Association of State Wetland Managers, Environmental and Engineering Geophysical Society, Geological Society of America, the Geo-Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers, National Association of State Boards of Geology, National Ground Water Association, and the Soil Science Society of America.

Resources to learn more:

•  View this webinar's Question & Answer session
• National Ground Water Association website and more resources:
  • NGWA Information Briefs: Managed Aquifer Recharge and Aquifer Storage and Recovery
  • NGWA Best Suggested Practices: Aquifer Storage and Recovery
• California Department of Water Resources website
• Texas Water Development Board groundwater division website
  • 2017 Texas State Water Plan (interactive website)
  • 2011 report, "An Assessment of Aquifer Storage and Recovery in Texas"
• International Association of Hydrogeologists Commission on Managing Aquifer Recharge website
• U.S. Geological Survey Report: Groundwater Depletion in the United States (1990 - 2008)
• Scanlon BR, Reedy RC, Faunt CC, Pool D, and Uhlman K (2016). Enhancing drought resilience with conjunctive use and managed aquifer recharge in California and Arizona. Environmental Research Letters, 11(3).

Search the Geological Surveys Database for reports and factsheets about groundwater.