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How does urbanization affect groundwater recharge?
Much of the surface of urban areas is rendered impermeable by buildings, roads and surface coverings. Because of this covering, the classical view of the effect of urbanization on groundwater is that recharge is reduced.
What reduces groundwater recharge?
In addition to droughts reducing groundwater recharge, groundwater can also be depleted when natural vegetation in communities is replaced with impervious surfaces (hard surfaces like streets, parking lots, and rooftops).
Does urbanization cause groundwater recharge?
The two interlinked networks of hydrological pathways in urban areas are described with particular reference to the links with groundwater. As well as reducing direct recharge, urbanization creates new pathways and sources of water for recharge, including leaking water mains, sewers, septic tanks and soakaways.
Why is groundwater recharge necessary?
Groundwater is recharged naturally by rain and snow melt and to a smaller extent by surface water (rivers and lakes). Recharge can help move excess salts that accumulate in the root zone to deeper soil layers, or into the groundwater system. Tree roots increase water saturation into groundwater reducing water runoff.
How does groundwater recharge happen?
Natural groundwater recharge occurs as precipitation falls on the land surface, infiltrates into soils, and moves through pore spaces down to the water table. Natural recharge also can occur as surface-water leakage from rivers, streams, lakes, and wetlands.
How does urban development affect the water cycle?
Increased impervious cover associated with urbanization alters the natural cycling of water. Greater frequency and severity of flooding, channel erosion, and destruction of aquatic habitat commonly follow watershed urbanization. …
What is the groundwater recharge process in an urban area?
Groundwater recharge processes in an urban area are different than in non-urban areas. There are various new components that must be considered in the case of urban groundwater recharge in addition to the natural recharge from precipitation.
Does impermeabilization affect groundwater recharge in cities worldwide?
It is often believed that with the urban growth, the impermeabilization and ground sealing effect might contribute to decrease in groundwater recharge. But it has been widely discredited by many case-studies about urban groundwater recharge in cities worldwide.
How do long-term droughts affect ground water systems?
Long-term droughts, which virtually always result in reduced ground-water recharge, may be viewed as a natural stress on a ground-water system that in many ways has effects similar to ground-water withdrawals–namely, reductions in ground-water storage and accompanying reductions in ground-water discharge to streams and other surface-water bodies.
How does the rapid growth of urban area affect groundwater resources?
The rapid growth of urban area has two basic effects on groundwater resources such as: effects on natural recharge of aquifers due to sealing of ground with concrete and pollution of groundwater due to leakage from drainage and, industrial wastage and effluents ( Baier, Schmitz, Azzam, & Strohschon, 2014 ).