Managed Aquifier Recharge in the Atlantic Coastal Plain: A Path to Recovery from the Sinking Feeling?

Abstract:  

Groundwater is a critical resource for public water supply in the U.S. Coastal Plain; a region stretching from New York to Texas. Total groundwater usage for public water supply in this region is 3.8 BGD, and a population greater than 28 million are served by public-supplied groundwater. Coastal Plain aquifers are primarily confined and receive insufficient natural recharge to counterbalance groundwater withdrawals. Nevertheless, managed aquifer recharge (MAR) has yet to gain wide application on the U.S. East Coast. This presentation will explore sustainable MAR operations and risk factors being addressed by Virginia Tech through research in cooperation with the Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD) in Eastern Virginia. HRSD is implementing a $2.2B MAR infrastructure project known as Sustainable Water Initiative for Tomorrow (SWIFT). HRSD has developed advanced water treatment systems that bring wastewater effluent to drinking water standards and compatibility with native groundwater chemistry in the Potomac Aquifer System. In addition to replenishing the PAS, outcomes of SWIFT are reduction of nutrient discharge to the Chesapeake Bay and mitigation of land subsidence.

Bio:

Dr. Mark A. Widdowson is Department Head of the Charles E. Via Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Virginia Tech. Dr. Widdowson is the Co-Director of the Potomac Aquifer Recharge Monitoring Laboratory and serves on the Potomac Aquifer Recharge Oversight Committee. Dr. Widdowson is the author and principal investigator of the software tools (SEAM3D and NAS) for evaluating remedial strategies to meet site remediation objectives. He recently served as the state’s technical expert to the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission of Virginia on the sustainability of groundwater supply in the Eastern Virginia Groundwater Management Area.