Providing the requisite expertise to evaluate and develop alternative water supplies and strategies

As demand increases and climate change alters the location and timing of water supplies, traditional sources such as rivers, lakes, streams, and groundwater aquifers are becoming unavailable, more difficult, or increasingly expensive to develop. As a result, many communities are switching to alternative sources of water, including rainwater, storm water, reclaimed water, and brackish groundwater, and alternative strategies including seawater desalination, aquifer storage and recovery (ASR), and the conjunctive (integrated) use of groundwater and surface water. Conjunctive water management consists of maximizing the use of surface water when it is plentiful and saving groundwater for the periods when surface water supplies are short. While developing an effective conjunctive use plan involves multiple considerations, INTERA brings specialized experience in addressing the key issues that include surface water and groundwater hydrology, water quality, and surface and underground storage capacities.

• Brackish groundwater
  • identification of areas for brackish water development
  • assessment of aquifer hydraulic properties and salinity trends and distribution
  • evaluation of water chemistry
  • determination of potential impacts on land and existing water uses
  • design and optimization of production wells
• Aquifer storage and recovery
  • evaluation of aquifer lithology and hydraulic properties
  • application of models to predict hydraulics, water quality, drift, and recovery efficiency
  • design and installation oversight of recovery wellfields and monitoring networks
• Conjunctive use of groundwater and surface water