ABSTRACT

Interest in artificial recharge has strengthened, in response to declining groundwater levels, increased vulnerability of surface water supplies to contamination, environmental opposition to increased reliance upon surface water supplies, and many other reasons. The groundwater occurs under water table conditions but is quite brackish except under the sand dunes. The quality of groundwater is brackish, but the recharge from the tank displaces the native groundwater below the tank bed and its vicinity. The term "recharge well" covers all recharge through wells, whether by gravity or pumping, that is intended primarily to replenish groundwater supplies and meet drinking water needs. Radioactive tracers have been utilized to determine movement and mixing of the recharge water with the native groundwater. Farmers in the vicinity of Adelaide use irrigation supply wells to recharge their brackish aquifer with seasonally available fresh surface water. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.