Abstract |
Artificial recharge techniques have long been used to augment groundwater supplies and increase the yield of infiltration galleries. A case history of the water-supply situation at Minot, North Dakota, which has long suffered from severe water shortages, indicates the usefulness of artificial recharge. Throughout much of the Minot aquifer, the water level was raised more than 20 feet within six months of artificial recharge operation. The cost of the system (about $193,000) was minute in comparison to an estimated cost of $12 million for a pipeline to the Missouri River. A model study of the movement of a wetting front beneath an artificial recharge site, uner both dry and damp conditions, illustrates the profound effect of permeability and stratification on the shape of the front. A model study dealing with the shape of the cone of recharge in the vicinity of a recharge well shows that there is a sharp change in gradient directly under the well. Elsewhere the cone develops a shape that is generally consistent with theoretical studies. Where the cone of recharge crosses a boundary, indicating a change in permability, the cone is slightly distorted. (Author){291 |