Managed aquifer recharge in karstic systems:Site suitability mapping by coupling multi-criteria decision analysis with remote sensing and hydrologic modeling

Abstract

Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) offers a promising strategic management alternative for water storage and subsequent recovery to alleviate water shortage and to protect coastal aquifers from saltwater intrusion. Selecting potentially suitable recharge sites remains challenging, particularly in heterogeneous karst systems. In this study, MAR site suitability in a karst coastal aquifer is examined using a new geospatial approach that accounts for aquifer rechargeability properties, water availability, and economic-environmental attractiveness. For this purpose, multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA), supported by pairwise comparisons, with an intrinsic karst aquifer rechargeability index is coupled with a raster-based hydrologic model that was forced by remotely-sensed precipitation, temperature, and land use data. The approach was successfully used to define exclusionary zones and to identify sites with high MAR potential that were independently collocated with hydrogeological indicators ascertaining its potential for site suitability mapping in systems with prevailing karstic aquifers.