Artifical Recharge of Ground Water in Colorado

• Year: 2004
• Title: Artificial Recharge of Ground Water in Colorado
• Author: Colorado Geological Survey Department of Natural Resources
• Description: A Statewide Assessment 2004
• Publications - Doc Type: Other

Artificial Recharge of Ground Water in Colorado
A Statewide Assessment
Manage Water Supply
AR is utilized as a component of water supply regardless of whether the water is used for
municipal, agricultural, industrial, or other uses. The objectives can be further categorized as
follows:
• Water supply regulation — Surface -water supplies are highly variable with discharge
rates varying on a daily, weekly, monthly or seasonal basis. Ground -water availability
is less variable and therefore, potentially more reliable as a water source. AR into an
aquifer with subsequent extraction on a local basis evens out the variations of surface -
water delivery systems.
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Seasonal storage — As a more advanced form of water supply regulation, water is
recharged when surface -water supply is plentiful, and recovered later in the year
when needed. Figure III -2 illustrates the seasonal imbalance between springtime
surface runoff supply and later water demand during the summer months. Seasonal
storage can regulate water supply through the year.
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Residential demand Creek flow (supply)
Figure III -2. Water supply and demand curves. Native water supply in the form of runoff typically
peaks in the spring, yet demand doesn't peak until several months later when daily temperatures rise
and water use, primarily for irrigation, increases. Water storage bridges the gap between the two peaks.
Long -term storage — Water is stored, or "banked," during seasons or years of excess
supply and is recovered during drought years. Drought is a part of the natural
climatic cycle in Colorado. Periods of drought have been documented for the past
century as shown in Figure III -3. The 2002 drought is estimated to have cost the
Colorado economy over $1 billion (Byers, 2002).
• Emergency supply — Water is stored to provide a strategic reserve in response to
warfare or natural disaster.
Conjunctive use — This practice integrates the use of both surface and ground water to
meet demands. When plentiful, surface water is the primary source while ground
water is used when surface -water supplies dwindle. AR may or may not be used as a
part of conjunctive use.