Artificial recharge projects follow the normal water supply project development stages of planning, design, authorisation and implementation. They cannot be considered simple interventions whereby excess surface water is transferred underground on an ad hoc basis in the hope that this will solve water shortage problems. If the project is not properly planned, it is unlikely that it will have the expected benefits. Artificial recharge projects differ from conventional water supply infrastructure development projects in two significant ways:

• A significant period of testing is almost always required prior to developing the design and implementation plan.
• Artificial recharge projects are site specific and each project will have its own particular objectives.

While testing helps to understand the project specific conditions, it is also important to start relatively small and have incremental increases in capacity as the variables of the particular situation are monitored and better understood.

This booklet lists the key tasks for assessing the feasibility of an artificial recharge scheme and is aimed at the implementer. Responsibilities of the DWA are outlined in Section C.2 (p 94) of the Artificial Recharge Strategy.