| Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) projects are being utilized for an ever-increasing number of water management projects nationwide. A large number of ASR projects are in operation in the United States with many others in the early planning stages. The planning of ASR projects involves consideration of numerous qualitative and quantitative factors including site location, applicable regulations, availability of water, type and quantity of water demands, source water quality, subsurface hydrogeology, ambient groundwater quality, geochemistry, geotechnical constraints, and many others. Currently, the planning of potential ASR projects is not standardized. Often, feasibility of ASR is based upon an incomplete consideration of important planning factors. ASR practitioners would be provided a great benefit if a formalized ASR planning decision framework could be developed. This is especially true for ASR sites located within brackish groundwater environments. For these sites, a formalized framework is lacking that includes reliable planning metrics designed to permit a quick assessment of project feasibility.; The primary purpose of this research project was the development of a formalized planning decision framework for new brackish water ASR projects. The framework consists of planning procedures, qualitative guidance, quantitative guidance, and new ASR performance metrics. The framework is designed to aid the ASR community of practice in assessing the feasibility of prospective projects. The framework, guidance values, and new metrics are based upon a compilation of literature, summaries of 50 different ASR projects from around the world, and extensive numerical modeling of ASR performance. The framework, guidance values, and performance metrics were validated at two ASR project sites not included in the initial data compilation and then was applied to five proposed ASR projects under consideration as part of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). |
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