Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) is a concept that seeks to deliberately increase the amount of water stored in an aquifer, which is then recovered by pumping. MAR comprises a large number of injection-recovery techniques. By storing water underground, loss of water to evaporation can be drastically reduced and the water savings returned to other users such as the environment, towns or irrigators. MAR offers several advantages when compared with the more traditional use of surface water reservoirs, the total volume of water that could be stored in aquifers worldwide is several orders of magnitude greater than that available in surface dams. MAR is often used as a synonym for “artificial groundwater recharge” (including recharge <a href="/node/2022" class="internal-link">from the surface</a> and from <a href="/node/2023" class="internal-link">below the surface</a>) despite the fact that it is not an artificial recharge of aquifers but a well controlled measure to replenish depleted and over-exploited aquifers.
Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) is a concept that seeks to deliberately increase the amount of water stored in an aquifer, which is then recovered by pumping. MAR comprises a large number of injection-recovery techniques. By storing water underground, loss of water to evaporation can be drastically reduced and the water savings returned to other users such as the environment, towns or irrigators.
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