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Groundwater recharge or deep drainage is a hydrologic process where water moves downward from surface water to groundwater. Recharge is the primary method through which water enters an aquifer. This process usually occurs in the vadose zone below plant roots and, is often expressed as a flux to the water table surface. Groundwater recharge also encompasses water moving away from the water table farther into the saturated zone.

Process

Recharge occurs both naturally (through the water cycle) and through anthropogenic processes (i.e., "artificial groundwater recharge"), where rainwater and or reclaimed water is routed to the subsurface.

Natural Groundwater Recharge

Natural groundwater recharge is an important process for sustainable groundwater management, since the volume-rate abstracted from an aquifer in the long term should be less than or equal to the volume-rate that is recharged. This is critical in both drought and flood conditions.

Artificial Groundwater Recharge

Artificial groundwater recharge is becoming increasingly important in India, where over-pumping of groundwater by farmers has led to underground resources becoming depleted. In 2007, on the recommendations of the International Water Management Institute, the Indian government allocated ₹1,800 crore (equivalent to ₹34 billion or US$480 million in 2019) to fund dug-well recharge projects in 100 districts within seven states where water stored in hard-rock aquifers had been over-exploited.

Factors Affecting Groundwater Recharge

Factors that affect groundwater recharge include the physical properties of the soil and rocks, the amount of water in the soil, the amount of rainfall, the vegetation cover, and human activities such as the construction of dams and levees.

See Also

• Hydrology
• Water cycle
• Aquifer
• Drought
• Flood