U.S. Water News Online
LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- The Las Vegas Valley Water District's (LVVWD) artificial recharge program is drawing attention from water purveyors as far as China and The Netherlands. A recent delegation of government officials and scientists from Holland toured LVVWD facilities that support the world's largest injection-based artificial recharge program.
Beginning in 1987, the LVVWD began storing surplus treated water from the Colorado River in the principal aquifer underlying most of the Las Vegas Valley. During 1999, 32,000 acre-feet of water were injected into the aquifer, maximizing use of the Colorado River allocation and helping to stabilize declining water tables. To date, the district and neighboring City of North Las Vegas have combined to recharge more than 210,00 acre-feet -- approximately 68 billion gallons of water into the principal aquifer.
"Artificial recharge by deep well injection is beneficial both in terms of providing potable water storage and reducing water delivery costs," said LVVWD General Manager Patricia Mulroy. "It allows communities such as ours that have dramatic seasonal ranges in water consumption to optimize available water resources."
Since 1990, the principal aquifer levels have risen as much as 60 to 80 feet in areas adjacent to artificial recharge operations. LVVWD hydrologists constantly monitor both the principal and shallow aquifers to more fully understand the impact of artificial recharge.
"We're happy to be able to share what we've learned with communities throughout the region and throughout the world," Mulroy said. "Availability of potable water is among the 21st century's emerging challenges. We must all work together to develop long-term solutions that will meet our communities' water resource needs."
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