Aquifer storage and recovery (ASR): A strategic cost-effective facility to balance water production and demand for Sharjah

Abstract

Aquifer storage and recovery was evaluated as a strategic water storage facility and as a tool to reduce overallcost of water production. This work investigated the size, cost, and mode of operation required to run the proposed ASR. The best scenario was to build an ASR of 280 MIGs to balance the annual water demands and to cover up for a minimum of 25% of any major crisis that might occur. The ASR will have recharge from existing SEWA plant and an additional new seawater RO plant with a capacity of 1.3 MIGD. Decision tree and risk assessment analyses were used to identify the optimum alternative.