Practical Management to Minimize the Effects of Clogging in Managed Aquifer Recharge Wells at Two Sites in the Guadiana Basin, Spain

Abstract

AbstractAccording to the experiments performed by the Tragsa Group and in the framework of the research and development Depth Investigation of New Areas for Managed Aquifer Recharge (DINA-MAR) Project, which relates to the management of aquifer recharge in the context of sustainable development, researchers studied clogging in managed aquifer recharge (MAR) facilities in two demonstration sites within the Guadiana Basin in central Spain. The author focused on the detection and distribution of physical (including air), chemical, and biological clogging processes in 25 wells and bores. Several of these sites have been in operation since 1988. The most remarkable detected processes were algae colonies and the combination of carbonate and iron. Synergistic combinations among the different elements have been studied by means of clogging and water sampling, field and laboratory analysis, field photographs, and down-hole videos. These studies were performed at two experimental sites in a permanent development in...