Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

So, how do you refill an aquifer?

heatmap.news

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

81–90 of 95 posts

Re: So, how do you refill an aquifer?

#81

Post by vondur »

toss1 wrote: post #64
mech422 wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Phoenix is the same way. They do a really good job managing water supplies - for aquifers in particular (PHX sits on top of an underground lake) they use huge 'ponds' to let the water soak back into the aquifer.

>> They do a really good job managing water supplies - for aquifers in particular Yes, except for some very bad deals allowing great tracts of land to be sold and leased at below-market rates to Saudi companies without charging or monitoring water use. They grow forage crops like alfalfa that are banned or restricted in Saudi because of excessive water requirements, and ship the crops back to their cattle there. It h…

I think that deal was canceled.

Re: So, how do you refill an aquifer?

#82

Post by [deleted] »

Dig1t wrote: post #11

For further reading on aquifers I highly recommend https://www.edwardsaquifer.net It's run by a scientist in Texas and has an amazing wealth of information on the aquifers of Texas. I never thought I would find a subject like this interesting until I read this guy's site. Texas has been managing aquifers for a long time, there's a rich history behind their management, and reading about this stuff has been the only wa…

[deleted]

Re: So, how do you refill an aquifer?

#83

Post by mariojv »

Dig1t wrote: post #11

For further reading on aquifers I highly recommend https://www.edwardsaquifer.net It's run by a scientist in Texas and has an amazing wealth of information on the aquifers of Texas. I never thought I would find a subject like this interesting until I read this guy's site. Texas has been managing aquifers for a long time, there's a rich history behind their management, and reading about this stuff has been the only wa…

That's the aquifer that serves where I live, San Antonio, among other parts of the region. It's neat seeing the Edwards Aquifer mentioned here along with that site!

I remember local news reporting on the aquifer level quite a bit throughout my life. Curious if other regions near major aquifers do the same thing. It really raises awareness about water management. The news publishes the "worst offending addresses" for water overuse occasionally, too. We had the worst drought in recent memory for the region last year, although this year seems to be starting to make up for that.

The city's also diversified its water supply outside the aquifer in recent years, such as establishing the Vista Ridge Pipeline from less populated areas of Texas into San Antonio: https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2020/05/08/a-project-10-year...

I imagine water infrastructure projects like this are only going to become more common as the climate changes in coming years. The massive aquifer recharge projects mentioned in the original article about California aquifers make me wonder if there's some way one could engineer a very large scale desalination project using natural resources. A project using geothermal resources for evaporative desalination could be interesting.

Re: So, how do you refill an aquifer?

#84

Post by hanniabu »

myshpa wrote: post #49
dylan604 wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My concern for urban permeable pavement is all of the chemicals that would be absorbed with it. Same with the forced injection of water back into an aquifer. I was under the impression that the water being pulled through the ground is a filtering process so that the water in the aquifer is clean.

> the water ... filtering process ... the water in the aquifer is clean Clean(er) ... maybe ... nowadays nitrates, pesticides/herbicides, pfas/pfoas, industrial chemicals (solvents, heavy metals, volatile organic compounds), pharmaceuticals (prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications), lead, arsenic, mercury, and cadmium (through industrial activities, mining operations, and improper waste disposal), chlorinate…

Such a depressing truth, I feel like cancer and other illnesses are completely unavoidable for the younger generation

Re: So, how do you refill an aquifer?

#85

Post by icehawk »

mariojv wrote: post #83
Dig1t wrote: post #11

For further reading on aquifers I highly recommend https://www.edwardsaquifer.net It's run by a scientist in Texas and has an amazing wealth of information on the aquifers of Texas. I never thought I would find a subject like this interesting until I read this guy's site. Texas has been managing aquifers for a long time, there's a rich history behind their management, and reading about this stuff has been the only wa…

That's the aquifer that serves where I live, San Antonio, among other parts of the region. It's neat seeing the Edwards Aquifer mentioned here along with that site! I remember local news reporting on the aquifer level quite a bit throughout my life. Curious if other regions near major aquifers do the same thing. It really raises awareness about water management. The news publishes the "worst offending addresses" for…

To expand on the second paragraph:

It wasn't until I moved out of San Antonio, that I realized that you don't get a daily report in the local news as to how much water is in your local water supply.

Re: So, how do you refill an aquifer?

#86

Post by triyambakam »

mech422 wrote: post #75
toss1 wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> They do a really good job managing water supplies - for aquifers in particular Yes, except for some very bad deals allowing great tracts of land to be sold and leased at below-market rates to Saudi companies without charging or monitoring water use. They grow forage crops like alfalfa that are banned or restricted in Saudi because of excessive water requirements, and ship the crops back to their cattle there. It h…

That's not PHX though... PHX is lucky/planed well enough not to be in the same predicament a lot of the state is. We have 2 additional sources of water besides the colorado, our water consumption is down because of less argiculture, and the underground lake seems to be holding up pretty well. Granted, the rest of the state is constantly having to do more with less

> the underground lake seems to be holding up pretty well.

Where can I read more about this? Searching for "Phoenix underground lake" doesn't bring up anything that seems related.

Re: So, how do you refill an aquifer?

#87

Post by billbrown »

triyambakam wrote: post #86
mech422 wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's not PHX though... PHX is lucky/planed well enough not to be in the same predicament a lot of the state is. We have 2 additional sources of water besides the colorado, our water consumption is down because of less argiculture, and the underground lake seems to be holding up pretty well. Granted, the rest of the state is constantly having to do more with less

> the underground lake seems to be holding up pretty well. Where can I read more about this? Searching for "Phoenix underground lake" doesn't bring up anything that seems related.

I think "underground lake" is metaphorical. We have some good geology for our aquifer—it's called the Salt River Valley alluvial basin.[1]

The Phoenix Active Management Area has a bunch of water storage[2]. I'd also direct you to the city's 2021 plan.[3]

[1] https://new.azwater.gov/hydrology/groundwater-modeling/salt-... [2] https://waterbank.az.gov/water-storage [3] https://www.phoenix.gov/waterservicessite/Documents/2021%20C...

Re: So, how do you refill an aquifer?

#88

Post by billbrown »

walleeee wrote: post #65

While initiatives like these are important, it is also critical to rethink agricultural practice. California grows a number of thirsty crops under conditions which make little ecological sense. Reform must address the legal framework, incentives for farmers, and consumer habits and expectations upstream, as it were.

Pricing would also make a huge difference.[1] In general, though, California is a _mess_.[2] I mean, it didn't even have state groundwater management legislation until 2014—they're seriously playing catch-up now.

[1] https://www.brookings.edu/research/shopping-for-water-how-th... [2] https://archive.is/JGUe2

Re: So, how do you refill an aquifer?

#90

Post by mech422 »

billbrown wrote: post #87
triyambakam wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> the underground lake seems to be holding up pretty well. Where can I read more about this? Searching for "Phoenix underground lake" doesn't bring up anything that seems related.

I think "underground lake" is metaphorical. We have some good geology for our aquifer—it's called the Salt River Valley alluvial basin.[1] The Phoenix Active Management Area has a bunch of water storage[2]. I'd also direct you to the city's 2021 plan.[3] [1] https://new.azwater.gov/hydrology/groundwater-modeling/salt-... [2] https://waterbank.az.gov/water-storage [3] https://www.phoenix.gov/waterservicessite/Document…

Thanks for clearing that up... I actually did think it was a 'lake' type thing. - So T.I.L. :-)

Also, SRP has tons of great info. about the water system - its actually pretty cool how them mange it all:

https://www.srpnet.com/grid-water-management/water-managemen...

https://www.srpnet.com/grid-water-management/water-managemen...

https://media.srpnet.com/srps-granite-reef-underground-stora...

Post reply on HN