System and Method for Storing Water in an Underground Reservoir and Managing the Same

Abstract

A water storage and management system takes water from a water source, such as captured run-off, and through a piping system, directs a flow of the water into an aquifer for storage and future utilization where the aquifer is located beneath a developed parcel of land having a surface use selected from a group consisting of agricultural, commercial, residential and recreational. The system may use moisture detectors to ascertain the water content of different layers or zones of the aquifer and reports this information to a digital processor. The digital processor may utilize this information to issue instructions to one or more control valves to direct the flow of the water into portions of the aquifer which have additional storage capacity. The digital processor may also instruct a submersible pump to withdraw from the aquifer as desired. This system is utilized in a method of banking groundwater from a remove location. Such groundwater storage may result in receipt of groundwater recharge credits.

Having thus described the preferred embodiment of the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent includes the following: 
     
         1 . A system for storing groundwater comprising:
 a subsurface aquifer located beneath a developed parcel of land, the developed parcel of land having a ground surface at a base elevation, wherein the developed parcel of land has a surface use selected from the group consisting of agricultural, commercial, residential, and recreational, wherein the subsurface aquifer comprises a porous and permeable layer located at a first elevation;   a surface water storage facility located at a first location remote from the developed parcel of land;   a piping system through which water may be conveyed from the surface water storage facility into the subsurface aquifer, wherein the piping system comprises an array of conduit members, each conduit member having an outlet into the subsurface aquifer; and   a measurement apparatus which measures the volume of water conveyed through the piping system to the subsurface aquifer to ascertain a total volume of water banked in the aquifer.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1  comprising a moisture detector disposed at an elevation between the base elevation and the first elevation. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2  wherein the moisture detector generates an output signal if moisture is detected between the base elevation and the first elevation. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3  wherein the moisture detector is configured to make a quantitative determination of the moisture. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 3  wherein the output signal from the moisture detector is received by a digital processing unit. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5  wherein the digital processing unit is configured to provide instructions to a first actuated valve in the piping system thereby controlling a rate of water flow into the subsurface aquifer. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 6  wherein the piping system is connected to an overflow reservoir. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 7  wherein the digital processing unit is configured to provide instructions to a second actuated valve in the piping system thereby controlling a flow of water into the overflow reservoir. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1  further comprising a subsurface pump extending into the subsurface aquifer. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9  wherein a digital processor is configured to provide instructions to the subsurface pump when to stop and start. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10  wherein the subsurface pump discharges into an overflow reservoir. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11  wherein a moisture detector is disposed at an elevation between the base elevation and the first elevation, wherein the moisture detector generates an output signal if moisture is detected between the base elevation and the first elevation and the output signal is received by the digital processor and the digital processor is configured to instruct the subsurface pump to start upon receipt of the output signal. 
     
     
         13 . A system which may be utilized to obtain a groundwater recharge credit, the system comprising:
 a water storage facility at a first location wherein the water storage facility holds a volume of surface water;   a piping system which transfers the volume of surface water through a piping system into a subsurface aquifer, the subsurface aquifer comprising a porous and permeable layer located at a first elevation, the subsurface aquifer located beneath a developed parcel of land remote from the first location, the developed parcel of land having a ground surface at a base elevation, wherein the developed parcel of land has a surface use selected from the group consisting of agricultural, commercial, residential, and recreational, the piping system comprising at least one conduit member having an outlet into the subsurface aquifer; and   a measurement apparatus which measures the volume of surface water conveyed through the piping system to the subsurface aquifer, the measurement apparatus configured to ascertain a total volume of water banked in the aquifer.   
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13  comprising a moisture detector disposed at an elevation between the base elevation and the first elevation. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14  wherein the moisture detector generates an output signal if moisture is detected between the base elevation and the first elevation. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15  wherein the output signal from the moisture detector is received by a digital processing unit. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 15  wherein the digital processing unit is configured to provide instructions to a first actuated valve in the piping system thereby controlling a rate of water flow into the subsurface aquifer. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17  wherein the piping system is connected to an overflow reservoir. 
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 18  wherein the digital processing unit is configured to provide instructions to a second actuated valve in the piping system thereby controlling a flow of water into the overflow reservoir. 
     
     
         20 . A system for storing groundwater comprising:
 a remote storage facility storing a volume of water;   a developed parcel of land comprising a subsurface aquifer, wherein the developed parcel of land has a land use selected from the group consisting of agricultural, commercial, residential, and recreational, the subsurface aquifer comprising a plurality of layers;   a piping system configured to transfer a portion of the volume of water from the remote storage facility into the subsurface aquifer, the piping system comprising at least one conduit member having an outlet disposed into the subsurface aquifer;   a moisture detection apparatus configured to detect a change in a moisture level within an upper layer of the plurality of layers; and   an overflow reservoir configured to receive any water remaining in the remote storage facility after the change in the moisture level has been detected.