A Combined RBF and ASR System for Providing Drinking Water in Water Scarce Areas

A novel combination of riverbank filtration (RBF) and aquifer storage recovery (ASR) in the Albany region of Georgia (USA) was investigated in order to study possible changes in water quality. In areas where there are seasonal changes in water availability, seasonal excesses can be stored underground to meet short-term demands. Using RBF as a source water, rather than obtaining water directly from the surface water, would reduce treatment costs. The RBF site taps the Flint River through the Upper Floridan Aquifer producing water that can be injected into the deeper Clayton Aquifer for storage and subsequent recovery. This study tests the conceptual framework of having such RBF and ASR schemes coupled together and, more importantly, looks at the hydrogeochemical changes that are likely to occur. It was seen, in the scenarios considered, through numerical modeling, that acceptable water can be obtained from such coupled systems. Injection of the RBF water in an aquifer with arseniferous pyrite did not mobilize any significant arsenics.