ABSTRACT
Floods are a significant hazard in many cities, towns and other built-up areas. Housing and other structures, intensive agriculture and other types of development are often in harm’s way. The practice of managed aquifer recharge has had international application for many years, using sources such as recycled wastewater and stormwater runoff to replenish groundwater. In California, the possibility of using urban floodwaters to recharge groundwater has been brought into focus by the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. Many cities and other built-up areas are located on rivers and other water bodies, and development in these areas – housing, industrial, commercial, infrastructure, intensive agriculture – is often at risk of flood. The consequences can be varied and significant. Flooding can have a host of environmental, social and economic consequences. Groundwater overdraft – pumping groundwater at a faster rate than aquifers are recharged – has drawn particular interest recently in California.
