The

FROM THE NORTH DAKOTA STATE WATER COMMISSION Aquifer Recharge and Recovery

The Forest River Project ARR sites.

Agricultural water, which is irrigation. However, even aquifers and Recovery (ARR). primarily used for irrigation, are eventually affected by long-term ARR generally involves the capture remains the single greatest climate trends, where extended of waters from rivers and streams consumptive water use, by volume, droughts can reduce available during periods of high flow (often in North Dakota. While irrigation groundwater. in the spring), and then the storing can enhance yields in crop of that water in an aquifer for later production and allows agriculture recovery and use. Water is placed in areas that would not receive Confined Aquifer in aquifers by surface infiltration sufficient precipitation in “normal” An aquifer confined between two through excavated basins. In years, it can face serious challenges impermeable layers. areas that have soils with low in terms of water availability. permeability, or where the aquifer is especially deep, injection wells may Groundwater supplies are less Another challenge to developing be used. prone than surface water to extreme new irrigation is that, in many areas variations in quantity from short- of the state, available surface and Unconfined Aquifer term changes in climate, which is groundwater supplies are already An aquifer where the upper bound- why it is often used as a source for highly appropriated, making it very ary is the water table. challenging to find sufficient water for new or expanded projects. Aquifer ARR has been used periodically A deposit of materials such as A technology that has shown in North Dakota over the past 80 sand, gravel, etc…, able to yield potential for mitigating the years. In 1932, Valley City was significant amounts of subsurface challenges to existing and available using Sheyenne River water to water through wells or springs. water supplies is Aquifer Recharge recharge local groundwater during

16 North Dakota Water n June 2014 irrigation pivot well infiltration basins, each about 3.5 acres in area. Topsoil was removed intake pump from both basins to two feet below grade, with that removed soil being stream used to build a berm around the infiltration basins. The excavated topsoil, which was high in the less water-permeable clay, exposed a bed material of fine and medium sand, which is more permeable to water.

unconfined aquifer This project takes water from the Forest River during high flows solid rock, clay in the spring and early summer, flows that would otherwise have high river flows for later municipal assistance to ensure that all of the been unavailable to beneficial use, use. During the 1950s, Minot used necessary scientific instrumentation for storage in a shallow aquifer. The ARR to supplement water in a local was put into place to measure the water is pumped from the river into aquifer with water pumped from effectiveness of the process, to the two basins, allowing gravity the Mouse [Souris] River. In the late confirm that all of the appropriate to move that water into an aquifer 1980s and 1990s, the U.S. Bureau Water Commission permits were through infiltration. That aquifer of Reclamation and the Garrison acquired and that the project would then serves as a water “bank” where Conservancy District supplemented not impact prior water permits, the water can be saved from a part groundwater in the Oakes aquifer and to ensure that groundwater of the year when it was not needed, using spring infiltration of water was adequately protected from to be used later, when the presence pumped from the James River. Also of that water will benefit the crops being grown. in the late 1980s, the North Dakota Forest INKSTER State Water Commission worked River with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation In order to quantify the amount to conduct studies on a pilot of water that could be reliably recharge basin, infiltrating water withdrawn from the Forest River for Inkster aquifer injection, an analysis based from the James River into the Oakes 1 aquifer in Dickey County. Possible 1 37th Street NE upon two climate scenarios, a “dry” use of ARR to augment groundwater and a “wet” cycle was developed in the Englevale Aquifer (Ransom by the Water Commission. The dry and Sargent Counties) was also cycle allowed for 200 acre-feet of examined in the early 1990s. In aquifer recharge annually, and the Inkster wet cycle allowed 600 acre-feet of recent years, the Bureau considered Aquifer ARR as part of an integrated plan aquifer recharge annually. For the for stabilizing water supplies in the period of operation of the project, ARR Basin Red River Valley. the region has been in an extended Observation Wells wet cycle. Forest River Project A map of the Forest River ARR site and observation wells that were used Results In 1992, the Forest River to track the impacts of injection and Hutterite Community, near pumping. The project has operated for 21 years, and over that relatively Fordville, ND in eastern North contamination. The project Dakota, began the planning, testing, long period of time, a much better examined the feasibility of taking understanding of ARR has been and operation of an ARR basin and Forest River water during higher well field facility. The project, which gained. Between 1992 and the most spring flows for injection into an recently published report in 2009, is still being operated today, was aquifer for irrigation when needed. developed in close consultation with the following things have been learned. the State Water Commission. Water The Forest River Community Commission hydrologists provided ARR project, includes two

North Dakota Water n June 2014 17 FACTS

• Approximately 80% of the water • The average long-term estimated injected into the aquifer was cost of recharging the aquifer, recovered for irrigation. including amortized construction • Approximately 17% of the water costs, maintenance costs and injected was lost through various pumping costs was about $100 to natural processes (evaporation, $130 per acre-foot. Pumping from The intake in the Forest River for the ARR. plant use, seepage from the aquifer the aquifer for irrigation would be to adjacent springs, etc…). additional. Future Work • Water stored in an aquifer via ARR • ARR injection raised the aquifer The valuable information elevation at the basin sites, creating is short-term storage, meaning that water cannot be “banked” for more gathered by the Water Commission a “mound” on the water table closer through the Forest River Aquifer to the surface. than a year under local conditions. Losses to evaporation and seepage Recharge Project sets the stage, • The ability of water to infiltrate increase each year. and provides a good guide for how the sand at the bottom of the ARR to design an ARR system in the basins was limited by the buildup • ARR will work best in unconfined future, and in other locations in of “filter cake,” or a layer of aquifers with relatively deep (greater North Dakota. Research such as this sediment and organic materials that than 20’) water tables. exemplifies the commitment of Water plugged the highly permeable sand, • Aquifers with shallow water tables Commitment staff in conducting and lowering the ability of water to pass (less than 20’) will not work as well supporting investigations promoting through the sand. due to higher evaporation and plant the development of water-use use and a lack of storage volume in technologies to optimize the use of • After the basins are allowed to dry state water resources. out, the filter cake can be removed the aquifer. using a grader that removes less • An alternative to storing spring Information on ARR can be than 1” of material. water for later use would be to lower downloaded as pdf files from • Annual use of a scraper to remove the water table through pumping, the North Dakota State Water filter cake allowed the Forest River followed by ARR replacement in the Commission web site, under Reports Project to operate effectively for following year. and Publications/Water Resource the entire 21 years of the project • Increased crop yields due to ARR Research (WRI No. 47 and WRI No. study period, without a rebuild of at the Forest River Site ranged from 48.) Oakes pilot ARR projects are the infiltration basins. No major 40-60 bushels/acre of corn during documented in WRI Nos. 5-8. The renovation of the basin floors have “normal” precipitation years, to as evaluation of potential ARR use for been required at the current rate many as 100 bushels per acre during the Englevale Aquifer is in WRI No. of surface removal, although it dry years. 23, http://swc.nd.gov/4dlink9/4dcgi/ is expected that replacement of • Stable sources of irrigation water GetSubCategoryRecord/Reports%20 bottom sands with nearby materials allowed the Forest River Site to and%20Publications/Water%20 will be needed at some time in the expand into the production of high Resource%20Investigations future. value, water intensive crops, such as • No adverse impacts to groundwater potatoes. quality were detected as a result of the Forest River Project.

The State Water Commission North Dakota State Water Commission does not discriminate on the Todd Sando, P.E., State Engineer basis of race, color, national 900 East Boulevard Ave. • Bismarck, ND 58505 origin, sex, age, or disability (701) 328-2750 • http: //swc.nd.gov in employment or the provision of services.

North Dakota Water n June 2014