CAPTURE
Event-driven diversion of surplus flow only (not baseflow extraction).
Section 01
Managed recharge: one part of a broader plan
Recharge stores available water; it does not create water. Choose it within a portfolio of conservation, reuse, sustainable pumping, storage, and additional supplies.
Compare all major water-security options →TREAT
Tiered treatment trains matched to source risk class and aquifer vulnerability.
STORE + RECOVER
Pressure-managed ASR with monitoring wells and audited recovery accounting.
Any capture proposal must assess downstream ecosystems, legal rights holders, and existing flow commitments. High flows can support habitats, sediment transport, and estuaries; they are not automatically available for diversion.
Section 02
Capture safeguards and downstream assessment
FLOW THRESHOLD TRIGGERS
Diversion opens only when river flow exceeds seasonal triggers and protected downstream allocations.
08-engineering-design-basis.md §3
LEGAL + ECOLOGICAL GUARDRAILS
Environmental reserve and senior water rights checks run in real time; curtailment blocks diversion automatically.
05-engineering-masterplan.md §1-2, 08-engineering-design-basis.md §3
FAIL-CLOSED INTERLOCKS
Trips on low flow, rights calls, turbidity spikes, contaminant alarms, or pressure exceedance.
08-engineering-design-basis.md §3.4
Section 03
TREATMENT + INJECTION CREDIBILITY
01
Capture
02
Treat
03
Inject
04
Store
05
Recover
TREATMENT TRAINS
- Class A/B water: screening, solids removal, filtration, disinfection.
- Class C/D water: enhanced barriers (GAC/AOP/targeted polishing) as required.
- Objective: protect aquifer chemistry and long-term recoverability.
WELLFIELD DESIGN
- Archetype-specific design for alluvial, karst, confined, and fractured systems.
- Sentinel monitoring wells for plume and pressure tracking.
- Rehabilitation cycles triggered by injectivity decline.
Section 04
NO-HARM COMPLIANCE ARCHITECTURE
Section 05
PHASED BUILD SEQUENCE
0-5 YEARS
Pilot basins, permitting templates, hydrogeologic calibration, and lender-grade operating data.
5-12 YEARS
Regional scale-out with standardized modules, offtake contracts, and interoperable controls.
12-25 YEARS
National network integration, drought dispatch coordination, and long-duration reserve operations.
Test the engineering and investment case locally.
The legacy ASR economics on this site are planning scenarios with regional assumptions. They do not prove that recharge offers the best return in every basin. Compare alternatives using the same dependable-yield and full-cost criteria.
Managed recharge questions
What is Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR)?
ASR injects appropriately treated water into suitable aquifers for later recovery. Managed aquifer recharge also includes infiltration basins and other methods. Viability depends on source-water availability, aquifer chemistry, treatment, recovery efficiency, and permits.
When is managed recharge an efficient choice?
It can be attractive where suitable aquifers, legally available wet-season water, and modest treatment and conveyance needs coincide. Deep wells, poor recovery, clogging, or demanding treatment can raise costs. Compare actual recoverable dry-year yield with reuse, demand reduction, and other storage options.
Does capture guarantee no downstream harm?
No. High flows serve ecological and downstream functions. Diversions require basin-specific assessment, protected flows and rights, enforceable operating limits, and monitoring. Safeguards reduce risks but do not establish zero impact in advance.
How long does a recharge project take?
Timelines depend on feasibility testing, permits, source-water access, construction, and operating validation. The site’s 25-year roadmap is a planning scenario, not a commitment or guarantee of national water security.