Bank-sided porosity storage reservoirs

Abstract

Natural soils and underlying bedrock typical of channel banks near a river and floodplain system are utilized to improve the economics and efficiency of constructing an underground porosity storage reservoir. A man-made barrier, typically a slurry wall, is keyed into these banks and forms a first portion of a closed boundary for the reservoir. The channel banks between the two ends of the slurry wall form a substantially impermeable natural barrier defining a second portion of the closed boundary for the reservoir, thereby reducing the construction costs on sites appropriate for such a design. Locating the bank-sided porosity storage reservoir over naturally occurring scour regions in the bedrock can greatly increase the storage capacity. By building an embankment and extending the slurry walls higher, an open water storage area can be created on top of the reservoir that is bounded by the elevated slurry wall and the channel bank.

1 - 26 . (canceled) 
     
     
         27 . A method for storing water underground comprising:
 identifying an area of a floodplain having a layer of alluvial deposits over an aquiclude, the area bounded laterally at least in part by a natural channel bank;   determining depths of the aquiclude at locations within the area of alluvial deposits;   selecting a volume of alluvial deposits based at least in part on the determined depths of the aquiclude at the locations within the area of alluvial deposits, the volume bounded beneath by the aquiclude and bounded laterally in part by the natural channel bank and in part by a remainder of the alluvial deposits of the area;   constructing underground a continuous man-made barrier separating the volume from the remainder of the alluvial deposits of the area, thereby causing the volume of alluvial deposits to be bounded by the aquiclude, the natural channel bank and the continuous man-made barrier sited within the area based on the depths of the aquiclude at locations within the area of alluvial deposits.   
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein the selecting operation further comprises:
 siting the continuous man-made barrier based on the depths of the aquiclude at locations within the area of alluvial deposits in order to increase the volume of alluvial deposits bounded by the aquiclude, the natural channel bank and the continuous man-made barrier sited within the area based on the depths of the aquiclude at locations within the area of alluvial deposits   
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 27  further comprising:
 developing at least one map illustrating aquiclude depth contours. 
 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 27  further comprising:
 constructing the man-made barrier so that the volume of alluvial deposits are hydraulically separated from underground alluvial deposits outside of the closed boundary but hydraulically connected via the natural channel bank to natural groundwater within the natural channel bank. 
 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 27  wherein constructing comprises:
 building at least one slurry wall. 
 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 27  further comprising:
 placing a plurality of wells in the alluvial deposits within the volume suitable for the extraction and introduction of water into the volume. 
 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 32  further comprising:
 siting at least one of the plurality of wells in the alluvial deposits within the volume suitable based on the depths of the aquiclude at locations within the area of alluvial deposits. 
 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 27  further comprising:
 keying a first lateral end of the continuous man-made barrier into the natural channel bank at a first location; and 
 keying a second lateral end of the continuous man-made barrier into the natural channel bank at a second location. 
 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 27  further comprising:
 keying a bottom of the continuous man-made barrier into the aquiclude.