Managed Aquifer Recharge: Installation And Early Evaluation of Infiltration Galleries in The Cache River Critical Groundwater Area, Northeast Arkansas

Author

Allegra Christiane Pieri, Arkansas State UniversityFollow

Date of Award

8-28-2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Environmental Sciences, MS

First Advisor

John Nowlin

Committee Members

Andrew O’Reilly; Bert Greenwalt; Deborah Leslie; Michele Reba; Tanja McKay; Tina Teague

Call Number

LD 251 .A566t 2023 P53

Abstract

Arkansas ranks third in the nation for irrigated land, with water primarily sourced from the Mississippi River Valley alluvial (MRVA) aquifer. Intensive irrigation combined with limited natural recharge due to the region’s geology has led to the designation of critical groundwater areas. The Cache River Critical Groundwater Area (CRCGA) has undergone severe declines, impacting agricultural production and threatening aquifer depletion. This thesis outlines the construction of two infiltration galleries for managed aquifer recharge (MAR) and investigated the early stages of their capacity to recharge the MRVA aquifer. The infiltration galleries and MRVA aquifer were physically capable of accepting reservoir water at a rate of 147.63 L min-1. Continuous groundwater data were collected, and water table mounding was not differentiable from spring recharge recovery. These initial findings provided valuable information on the operation of on-farm infiltration galleries and merit continued research for potential regional implementation of MAR in the CRCGA.

Rights Management

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Pieri, Allegra Christiane, "Managed Aquifer Recharge: Installation And Early Evaluation of Infiltration Galleries in The Cache River Critical Groundwater Area, Northeast Arkansas" (2023). Student Theses and Dissertations. 169.
https://arch.astate.edu/all-etd/169