Managed Aquifer Recharge

Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) is a critical strategy for replenishing aquifers and managing water supplies. Since the 1990s, M&A has developed MAR solutions to integrate imported sources—Colorado River water and treated effluent—into water resource portfolios. Working in conjunction with engineering partners, we offer a full range of services for siting and designing new recharge facilities; we also have experience assessing existing recharge projects to optimize benefits to the aquifer and minimize costs for operations and maintenance.

M&A has played a key role in more than three dozen MAR projects, including the Tonopah Desert Recharge Project, the largest recharge facility in Arizona. We have worked on underground storage facilities (USFs) responsible for storing 5 million acre-feet of groundwater, more than half of the total USF storage in Arizona.

In California, M&A has helped develop a large regional groundwater bank and is currently developing a groundwater model to improve estimation of recharge and recovery capacity.

Capabilities

• Conducting hydrogeologic characterization studies to identify the best MAR sites
• Assessing the technical feasibility of recharge at candidate sites
• Ranking alternative recharge sites based on predicted performance cost, land use, regulatory, and other client-defined criteria
• Modeling groundwater flow under various recharge scenarios to predict mounding and water quality impacts
• Evaluating and addressing potential for unreasonable harm to neighboring land and water uses
• Working with regulatory staff to negotiate permit requirements
• Developing comprehensive operations and maintenance plans for injection wells and surface basins
• Designing recovery wellfields to maximize capacity while minimizing impacts
• Designing monitoring networks and monitoring system performance
• Evaluating water policy considerations and strategies for integrating recharge and recovery into client water portfolios