Coastal Groundwater Management: Seawater Intrusion Prevention, Artificial Recharge, and Climate Adaptation

Economic analysis of managed aquifer recharge (MAR) typically focuses on identifying the quantity of water to add cost-effectively to natural rates of recharge. However, to the extent that MAR is successful, higher groundwater levels or at least slower depletion are likely to influence crop choice and groundwater pumping dynamics. Using a landscape-level model, we maximize farm net returns taking into account MAR and on-farm surface reservoir storage, crop choice, and the impacts of drought on groundwater use in Eastern Arkansas, USA, over 120 years. We find that drought frequency (risk) has a stronger influence on groundwater pumping and MAR use compared with drought severity. There is evidence of a substantial slippage, the percentage of the increase in groundwater use with versus without MAR divided by the MAR use, under a range of MAR cost and drought scenarios. Total slippage ranges from about 32 to 75% of total MAR water, indicating that only 68-25% of the MAR water raises groundwater levels. Even if the costs of MAR are relatively high and slippage is present, the total net returns to farms in this region are higher, and the variability in those returns are less with MAR.

The Friuli Venezia Giulia (FVG) region in northeastern Italy has experienced an imbalance in the hydrogeological system over the years, resulting in the lowering of groundwater levels. Reduced and erratic precipitation patterns, rising temperatures, and increased abstraction have all contributed to the decline in piezometric levels in the Friuli Plain's phreatic aquifers. These changes in the hydrogeological system have resulted in a decrease in direct infiltration and an increase in the surface run-off and evapotranspiration rate, thus affecting both the surface and groundwater resources in the region. The groundwater of the region is also polluted by nitrate content, whose concentrations in some parts of the region exceed the threshold value (50 mg/l as per Italian legislation) for potable use. To address declining water resources and improve underground storage of high-quality surface waters, three recharge sites (Carpeneto, Mereto di Tomba, and Sammardenchia), in the upper Friuli plain have been suggested for MAR practice. MAR potential in this pre-Alpine region is characterized by the availability of high-quality surface waters (primarily from rivers), a highly permeable thick aquifer system, and numerous existing structures such as pits and large-diameter wells. The present study aims to investigate the effect of MAR on groundwater levels and quality through an infiltration pond at Sammardenchia site. Modflow is applied to simulate the aquifer’s response to natural and artificial recharge through MAR by means of water from the nearby Ledra channel. The initial results show a positive effect of MAR on the groundwater levels at the local scale. The study further aims to simulate the solute transport and water quality changes resulting from the recharge operation, with the ultimate goal of predicting future hydrogeological variations in the aquifer system.

Increasing meteorological drought frequency and rising water demand drive groundwater exploitation beyond sustainable limits. In heavily-stressed aquifers mitigation strategies, such as Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR), are needed to restore depleted groundwater storage. MAR is also designed to overcome short dry periods. However, wider impacts of MAR as a drought mitigation strategy remain to be quantified. The objective of this study is to assess impacts of MAR in heavily-stressed aquifers using a case study of the Central Valley in California (USA). The novelty of this study lies in its analytical approach based on long-term observational data of precipitation, groundwater levels, and MAR operations. The impact of MAR operations is assessed regionally and for different temporal scales. Results show spatially-coherent clusters of groundwater level time series in the Central Valley representing three main patterns that manifest themselves in different groundwater drought characteristics and long-term trends. The first regional pattern shows lengthened groundwater droughts and declining groundwater levels over time, indicating effects of over abstraction in aquifer sections without MAR. The second regional pattern shows reduced groundwater drought duration and magnitude related to periodically rising groundwater levels, showing short-term MAR impacts. The third regional pattern shows alleviated groundwater droughts and groundwater levels show a long-term rise, representing long-term MAR impacts. Mitigated groundwater droughts and long-term rise in groundwater levels reveal the value of long-term MAR operations and their contribution toward sustainable groundwater management. Increased institutional support is recommended to ensure longevity of MAR and thereby amplify its success as regional drought mitigation strategy in heavily-stressed aquifers.

The hydrological and economic feasibility of aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) of excess desali-nated water and managed aquifer recharge (MAR) using tertiary treated wastewater (TTWW) to manage stressed coastal aquifers in Oman has been studied numerically using the code, MODFLOW 2005 and the different transport packages MT3DMS, and MODPATH. The current ASR study aims to assess the feasibility of saving and recovering water for the purpose of supply to the city of MUSCAT during high demand periods by banking excess-desalted water during winter and recover it during the rest of the year. The second objective of the study is to explore the feasibility of MAR using TTWW to mitigate salinity in two costal aquifers in North of Oman exploited for different purposes: domestic water supply (Al-Khod aquifer), and for irrigation purposes (Jamma aquifer). ASR in the Al-Khod Aquifer was explored using Simulation Optimization multi-objective modeling using evolutionary algorithm NSGA-II (namely, the Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm-II), to generate the set of Pareto optimal solutions according to recharging scenarios. The results show that the potential net benefit of storage and recovery might reach as high as 17.80 million/year. The maximum profitable volume that can be recharged into the aquifer, given the limited number of wells and their locations, is estimated at 8.4 Mm3/year, which is lower than the current excess estimated of 10 Mm3/year. For MAR using TTWW, different managerial scenarios were simulated and analysis of the results reveals that the Jamma aquifer will further deteriorate in the next 20 years if it remains poorly managed. The groundwater level will decline further to exceed 3 m on average, and the iso-concentric salinity line of 1,500 mg/L will advance 2.7 km inland that will severely affect farming activities in the area. However, MAR using TTWW when integrated with the management of groundwater abstraction (e.g., smart water meter, higher irrigation efficiency to reduce the abstraction rate) becomes hydrologically feasible to augment the aquifer storage and controlling seawater intrusion, and hence sustains farming activities. The economic analyses of such situation recommend: (1) injecting TTWW in the vicinity of irrigation wells; (2) investing in smart water meters and online control of pumping from the wells to reduce the abstraction rate by 25; and (3) a combination of both are feasible scenarios with positive net present values. Recharge in upstream areas is found not economically feasible because of high investment cost of the installation of pipes to transport the TTWW over a distance of 12.5 km. Because the financial resources for investments are limited, scenario (2) shows a Net Benefit Investment Ratio of 4.41 (i.e., investment of a 1 yields 4.41). Although option (3) shows the lowest Net Benefit Investment, it is very attractive from a social perspective because it entails an integrated demand and supply management of groundwater. Farmers are requested to reduce pumping, and the gov-ernment will invest in injecting TTWW to improve groundwater quality in the vicinity of irrigation wells and to form a hydrological barrier to control seawater intrusion in the long run. The primary objective of MAR for the Al-Khod aquifer is to increase the urban water supply and to sustain the aquifer service with the lowest possible damages from seawater intrusion. A number of managerial scenarios were simulated and progressively developed to reduce seawater intrusion and outflow of the groundwater to the sea. An economic analysis was conducted to characterize the trade-off between the benefits of MAR and seawater inflow to the aquifer under increased abstraction for domestic supply. The results show that the abstracted volume for domestic supply can be doubled under MAR practices if irrigation wells are properly managed and public wells are better located. Even though injection of TTWW is more expensive (due to the injection cost), will result in higher benefits. The results indicate that managing the aquifer would produce a net benefit ranging from 8.22 million to 15.21 million compared with 1.57 million with the current practice. MAR using TTWW is feasible to develop water resources in arid regions, and the best scenario depends on the decision maker’s preference when weighing the benefits of MAR and the level of damage to the aquifer. MAR, as a smart water governance technology, mitigates stresses on aquifer systems in arid zones, maximizes the benefit of using groundwater for both agricultural and domestic purposes while minimizing the adverse socio-hydrological and agricultural consequences of mismanagement of commingled groundwater-TTWW resources at all scales (national, catchment, metropolitan area, village, farm). © 2020 Desalination Publications. All rights reserved.

A numerical assessment on the managed aquifer recharge to achieve sustainable groundwater development in Chaobai River area, Beijing, China

Aquifers providing groundwater for agriculture are in many cases unsustainably managed, resulting in environmental degradation and socioeconomic impacts. In this context, strategies that contribute to recovering groundwater reserves and satisfactorily maintaining irrigation are essential. Los Arenales Aquifer (Spain) experienced a dramatic decline in groundwater level in the last quarter of the 20th century due to intensive agricultural abstractions. We assess whether this aquifer has recovered in recent years and the potential contribution of managed aquifer recharge (MAR). We evaluate the significance of groundwater level trends and their magnitude through the (regional) Mann-Kendall test and the Theil-Sen estimator. We also calculate the average groundwater level and explore factors that could influence the observed trends, such as MAR, land use, agricultural water demand, and water management measures. We also contrast two groundwater management regions located within Los Arenales Aquifer, namely Los Arenales (LA), which has implemented MAR, and Medina del Campo (MC), to obtain further insight into groundwater development. The hydro statistical analyses reveal a continuous drop in groundwater levels of about −1.3 m/year in LA between 1985 and 2001, followed by a consistent recovery. In MC, groundwater levels decrease in two out of three analysis periods. We show that MAR is spatially and temporally correlated with increasing groundwater level trends. Land use, agricultural water demand, and water management measures have remained similar throughout the analysis period or have a limited impact on groundwater use. Furthermore, the only significant water management measure MC differs from LA is MAR. These pieces of evidence point to MAR as the primary mechanism for replenishing Los Arenales Aquifer, showing the potential of this tool to recover stressed aquifers and sustain irrigation in the area and beyond.

Spatial economic predictions of managed aquifer recharge for an agricultural landscape

In Flanders, households, industry, energy and agriculture consume significant amounts of water. As a consequence of the high population density, the water availability is rather low. This causes an imbalance between water demand and water availability. To protect groundwater resources for public water and to prepare for prospective water shortages in relation to changing climate scenarios, De Watergroep, a Flemish water company, aims to improve its water management. To evaluate the possibility for the application of Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) techniques in Flanders, a literature study on existing MAR applications in Flanders was carried out, followed by a detailed screening of 1) potential aquifers and 2) water production sites of De Watergroep. According to the literature study, only at 2 waterproduction facilities in Flanders (i.e. St. Andre1 and Grobbendonk2) MAR techniques have been implemented by means of infiltration ponds. Rapid screening of the potential for MAR for existing water production facilities indicates that MAR techniques using temporary water storage in a riverbed (e.g. percolation tanks, underground dams, sand dams, recharge releases) are not relevant. In Flanders rivers drain the water table which is connected to the surface water level and, in contrast to arid regions, the rivers contain water permanently. The only feasible MAR techniques for Flanders are infiltration basins, riverbank infiltration and injection techniques. According to the geohydrological context of aquifers at water production facilities, the geochemical composition of the raw water, the presence of an industrial water softening plant, and additional water resources, it was concluded that: *infiltration or injection, in unconfined aquifers is in general not a plausible option, because of the high groundwater level, the low storage capacity and the limited aquifer thickness (<25 m). *deep infiltration or injection in unconfined aquifers can be considered at locations characterised by positive relief forms. These areas however, are characterised by iron-bearing deposits enhancing the risk of iron precipitation and well clogging. *the aquifers characterised by optimum geohydrologic conditions with respect to aquifer thickness (50 m), hydraulic conductivities (30 - 40 m/d) and specific yield (40 - 60 m³/h/m) are not considered, because in the respective area there is no need for additional water storage. Finally, out of 78 water production facilities, for 2 sites with favorable conditions a conceptual model for the application of AS(T)R has been worked out (Table 1). Depending on further modelling results a pilot test will be worked out. Since Qatar faces significant increases in peak water demand due to its growth in population, industrial activities and the organization of sport events such as the 2022 FIFA World Cup Football, the evaluation and implementation of MAR techniques is essential to assure the required drinking water production. A similar approach as applied for Flanders, i.e. evaluation of applicable MAR techniques, screening of potential aquifers and design of a conceptual model is recommended.

The Kingdom of Bahrain has extremely poor endowment of water resources. In the last four decades, the kingdom has experienced fast-paced socio-economic development and rapid population growth which has been associated with dramatic increase in water demands. To meet these water requirements, heavy reliance on groundwater was made, leading to its over-exploitation and resulting in a significant decline in groundwater levels and serious degradation in its quality due to saltwater intrusion. To rehabilitate groundwater, authorities need to pursue two management approaches: (1) lowering groundwater abstraction to its safe yield through implementing demand management and conservation policies; and (2) augmenting groundwater storage by managed aquifer recharge (MAR). In the latter case, recharge can be made during rainfall extreme events, where relatively large amounts of water become available in a relatively short time and accumulates at surface depressions. These waters can be stored in groundwater by enhancing their infiltration through gravity injection wells. In this research, the optimal locations for MAR in Bahrain are identified by employing a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methodology using geographic information system (GIS). The weighted overlay method (WOA) was implemented to identify optimal MAR locations using eight parameters: geology, geomorphology, soil type, land use/land cover, slope, curvature, drainage density, and distance from lineaments. The highest scores (ranked excellent to very good), indicating the most suitable locations for both rainwater harvesting and MAR, were identified at a number of locations. Then, these locations were validated by actual MAR field projects conducted in Bahrain by the water authorities and the majority of these locations were found in agreement. As next steps, it is recommended to conduct an in-depth investigation at the identified locations using a higher-resolution satellite images with utilities infrastructure maps, and include the depth to groundwater as a criteria for the optimum selection of the sites, to be followed by MAR pilot field investigation, monitoring, and modeling for the highest potential locations.

&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Groundwater is depleting across the globe. According to NASA, 33% of the world&amp;amp;#8217;s major basins are overexploited. This water shortage could be alleviated by using Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) &amp;amp;#160;techniques. MAR is defined by Gale, 2005 as &amp;amp;#8220;Intentional storage and treatment of water in aquifers&amp;amp;#8221;. The three most common methods of MAR are a) direct infiltration into the aquifer through wells, b) interception in the river bed, c) indirect infiltration from the land surface (Dillon et al., 2009a). Baluchistan, the largest province of Pakistan by area (44 % of the total area of Pakistan) has hyper-arid to dry climate and is comprised of 18 river basins, 11 of which are suffering from groundwater depletion (2-3 m cumulative decline in watertable) . To solve the issue, 300 delay action dams were constructed but due to high-intensity rainfalls, steep slopes, and lack of vegetative cover, the sediment erosion rate was very high which converted the delay action dams into evaporation ponds and this scheme failed. After the failure of delay action dams, the leaky dam technique along with effective watershed management was applied, this enhanced the percolation and reduced the sedimentation in the reservoir (Asharaf and Sheikh 2017). Leaky dams reduce the energy of flood, initiate the sedimentation of suspended load and release the water downstream through leakage to infiltrate in the riverbed (Gale, 2005). The integrated approach of watershed management, leaky dams, ditches, and furrows positively affected the watertable in the area (Asharaf and Sheikh, 2017). The goals of this research are to revise the development of MAR in Baluchistan (Pakistan), to display a MAR suitability map using INOWAS platform and update of MAR sites in Baluchistan at Global MAR portal. To delineate potential MAR sites, thematic layers such as slope, rainfall, drainage, land cover, and soil characteristics are integrated using GIS multi-criteria decision analysis (based on weighted linear combination method) (Senanayake et al, 2016).&amp;amp;#160; MAR suitability maps are used as a preliminary step to field investigation to decide whether an area is suitable for a particular MAR type and hold the potential to be integrated into sustainable groundwater management plans . This study helps design a suitable groundwater management plan for Baluchistan.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;Acknowledgement:&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;quot;This work is part of a project that has received funding from the European Union&amp;amp;#8217;s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 810980.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;amp;#160;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;References&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;&amp;amp;#160;Dillon, P., I. Gale, S. Contreras, P. Pavelic, R. Evans &amp;amp; J. Ward. (2009a), Managing aquifer recharge and discharge to sustain irrigation livelihoods under water scarcity and climate change. IAHS Publication 330, pp.1-12&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt; &amp;lt;li&amp;gt;&amp;amp;#160;Gale, I. (2005). Strategies for Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) in semi-arid areas.UNESCO&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt; &amp;lt;li&amp;gt;&amp;amp;#160;M.Ashraf and Ashfaq A. Sheikh (2017). Sustainable Groundwater Management in Balochistan. Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR), pp. 34.&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt; &amp;lt;li&amp;gt;&amp;amp;#160;Senanayake, I.P., Dissanayake, D.M.D.O.K., Mayadunna, B.B., Weerasekera, W.L.,( 2016). An approach to delineate groundwater recharge potential sites in Ambalantota, Sri Lanka using GIS techniques. Geoscience Frontiers, Special Issue: Progress of Machine Learning in Geosciences 7, 115&amp;amp;#8211;124.&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt; &amp;lt;/ul&amp;gt;

The study was carried out in the drought prone water stressed Barind area to know the state of rainfall, trend of groundwater level and groundwater management options including Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) techniques. Rainfall and groundwater level data have been used and shown a decreasing trend in Godagari and Mohonpur Upazila. But in Niamatpur Upazila rainfall is in reverse condition of rising trend. Decreasing trend of groundwater level (GWL) has been found in the entire study area. The decreasing trend of GWL demands judicious management of groundwater for the area. For recovery of GWL as well as groundwater management, a recharge well as MAR structure has been installed and observed that the situation is better than the before and increasing GWL. More research and study are necessary to know about the trend of groundwater level for the whole Barind area and to introduce proper designed and modified MAR techniques to reverse the declining situation of GWL.

Integrating physical models with socio-economic considerations is essential to sufficiently analyze complex hydrological systems and design effective strategies for groundwater management. This integrated approach offers an effective means of detecting links between aquifer properties and groundwater processes. This study aims to assess the impact of human activities and climate changes on groundwater resources. In particular, the final goal is to quantify the spatial distribution of natural groundwater recharge, which is needed to assess the impact of anthropogenic factors on sustainable groundwater management in the Chiba watershed, NE of Tunisia as an example of a stressed hydrosystem.The proposed methodology is based on the estimation of natural groundwater recharge through hydrological modeling with the use of the SWAT model while considering land use/land cover changes occurring within the study area, coupled with the DPSIR (Drivers-Pressures-States-Impacts-Responses) socio-economic approach for time period 1985-2021. The surveys were constructed and processed based on the probability of occurrence for the degree of satisfaction with arguments related to the DPSIR parameter within the category of the 5-point Likert scale (ranging from level 1 - very low to level 5 - very high), including mean, standard deviation, and the consensus (CnS).Chiba watershed was selected as a case study since its climate is representative of the Tunisian semi-arid context, and due to the high vulnerability of the existing groundwater systems with respect to human activities.The hydrological simulations suggest a gradual decrease of 33% in the aquifer's natural recharge over the entire time period. The long-term average value of the annual recharge rate per sub-basin does not exceed 3 mm/year, keeping groundwater recharge levels in the basin relatively low. This observation is mainly attributed to climate change with CnS of 0.6 and over-exploitation of the water sources for irrigation purposes (CnS = 0.62), leading to aquifer depletion and degradation of groundwater-dependent ecosystems (CnS = 0.73). These results suggest that different management practices, such as more conservative water use (CnS = 0.6), long-term monitoring and Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) with wastewater (CnS = 0.76), can help rural residents to diversify their economies while preserving these water resources. However, although attempts of MAR have been undertaken, they remain insufficient to counter the pressure on the coastal aquifer, underlining the importance of preserving the fragile semi-arid landscape.The proposed approach is applicable to other regions having similar climatic and socio-economic conditions. It also demonstrates that pure modeling solutions need to be coupled to the socio-economic approaches to be able to constitute a solid asset for sustainable water resources management of stressed hydro-systems.&amp;#160;AcknowledgmentsThis work is funded by National Funding Agencies from Germany,&amp;#160; Cyprus, Portugal, Spain, and Tunisia under the Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA) and supported under Horizon 2020 by the European Union&amp;#8217;s Framework for Research and Innovation.

This study focuses on the Barind tract, a drought prone area situated in the north-west region of Bangladesh where inadequate rainfall and limited surface water have created high dependence on groundwater for irrigation and other purposes, leading to significant declines in groundwater level. Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) offers a potential solution to restore groundwater levels. This study sets out to identify the opportunities and challenges for implementing MAR in the Barind tract. To accomplish this aim, different data sets including bore log lithology, rainfall, groundwater levels, information about re-excavated ponds, dighis, kharies, beels, check dams, rubber dams, dug wells and other necessary information were collected from the Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) and other sources and analyzed. Major opportunities for MAR are identified for about 2000 km of re-excavated kharies (canals) containing about 750 check dams, more than 3000 re-excavated ponds, a number of beels (comparatively large marshes) and other water bodies which are used to conserve runoff storm water for supplementary irrigation. The conserved water can be used for groundwater recharge and subsequently abstracted for irrigation. Furthermore, roof-top rain water from buildings can also be used for groundwater recharge purposes. In contrast, the major challenges include the high turbidity of storm water runoff leading to clogging of MAR structures, inadequacy of conventional direct surface methods of recharge due to the presence of a 15 m or more thick upper clay layer with limited percolation capacity, and lack of practical knowledge on MAR. Therefore, overcoming the challenges for MAR application is a prerequisite to maximize the opportunities from MAR that can support the sustainable use of groundwater resources.

In South Korea, a significant amount of groundwater is used for the heating of water-curtain insulated greenhouses during the winter dry season, which had led to problems of groundwater depletion. A managed aquifer recharge (MAR) project is currently underway with the goal of preventing such groundwater depletion in a typical cultivation area, located on an alluvial aquifer near the Nam River. In the present study, FEFLOW, a three-dimensional finite element model, was used to evaluate different strategies for MAR of the cultivation areas. A conceptual model was developed to simulate the stream-aquifer dynamics under the influence of seasonal groundwater pumping and MAR. The optimal rates and duration of MAR were assessed by analyzing the recovery of the groundwater levels and the change in the groundwater temperature. The simulation results indicate that a MAR rate of 8000 m3 /d effectively restores the groundwater level when the injection wells are located inside the groundwater depletion area. It is also demonstrated that starting the MAR before the beginning of the seasonal pumping is more effective. Riverbank filtration is preferable for securing the injection water owing to plentiful source of induced recharge from the river. Locating the pumping wells adjacent to the river where there are thick permeable layers could be a good strategy for minimizing decreases in the groundwater level and temperature.

The use of Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) has been increasing in recent years as a climate change adaptation measure to increase water availability in dry seasons, reduce the impact of subsidence, contrast the seawater intrusion, etc.The SeTe project, funded by the EU programme Interreg ALCOTRA, involves the feasibility study and demonstration of MAR in the Cuneo plain, a large shallow alluvial aquifer at the south-western edge of the Po Plain. In this area, the availability of water for irrigation during summer has dramatically diminished in recent years, such as in 2017, 2021, and 2022, and these droughts have sparked the initiative for testing MAR as a low-cost countermeasure.The three project pilot sites identified in the project - Beinette, Tetti Pesio-Morozzo and Tarantasca-Centallo - are characterized by the presence of “fontanili”, i.e. drainage trenches dug since the Middle Ages to reclaim marshy land by lowering the groundwater level, sometimes integrated by shallow free-flowing wells called “Calandra pipes”. The water extracted, with flow rates ranging from a few tens of L/s to values exceeding 1000 L/s, is channelled and used in fields located further downstream. Unlike wells, where the flow is determined by the activation of a pump, the flow rate of the springs depends on nearby groundwater levels and, during the aforementioned summer droughts, the groundwater level decline led to a substantial reduction or even the cessation of spring flows.The project, started in October 2023, will last for three years to study MAR solutions to increase spring flow during the irrigation season.Historical meteorological, geological, and hydrogeological data have been collected to reconstruct the climate impacts on water resources, to characterize the aquifer and understand the correlations between climatic variables and spring yields.A groundwater level monitoring network has then been developed exploiting existing wells, the fontanili wells known as Calandra pipes, and nine newly drilled monitoring wells (three per site).Three infiltration structures are now being designed and installed, testing two configurations (shallow trench and vadose zone well) to infiltrate water available in channels out of the irrigation season. To this purpose, core sampling and shallow excavations were performed, collecting samples to study the shallow stratigraphy and characterize the hydraulic conductivity of the shallow subsurface through Lefranc tests and grain size distribution analyses. As these structures will be built, the project will proceed with the monitoring and modelling of infiltration in the three sites, also from the point of view of water quality, and results will be analysed to assess the large-scale applicability of MAR in the Cuneo plain.