High flow pre-treatment and infiltration system for aquifer storage and recovery with storm water runoff

“Retention is needed to manage storm water events and to provide water for the growing world population. The subsurface can act as a significant reservoir to temporarily store water surpluses and to keep the water available for later use with the principle of managed aquifer recharge (MAR). When local soil composition allows it, water storage in aquifers using infiltration wells – called aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) – can be a spatially efficient form of retention. The design of the capacity and dimensions of the pre-treatment required for such systems depend on the availability and characteristics of the infiltration water. A commonly used technique for pre-treatment of rainwater runoff preceding infiltration wells is slow sand filtration (SSF), which is robust to remove suspended solids and disinfect the infiltration water. The main draw-back however is that due to the irregular nature and intensity of rainwater events, large capacity sand-filters need to be placed with a large spatial footprint. In many occasions this surface area is not available. This necessitates the development of a high flow rate pre-treatment and infiltration system with a limited spatial footprint.”

(Citation: High flow pre-treatment and infiltration system for aquifer storage and recovery with storm water runoff – de Waal, L., Ros, S.E.M., Zuurbier, K.G., Paalman, M.A.A., van der Schans, M.L., Smet, D., van Aard, T. – AquaNES – D2.2 (2019))