Groundwater recharge and storage by damming a small ephemeral stream

Abstract

This project deals with the additional storage capacity of the surrounding sediment and bedrock along a stream system. The cost-benefit ratio of a dam depends largely on topographical and lithological conditions. With narrow and steep valleys the fractured bedrock and leakage from a reservoir is a crucial consideration. Sedimentological investigations along a small ephemeral stream in south-east Cyprus have revealed that there is storage capacity in the former stream channels but, more importantly, these sediments function as a buffer against irregular discharge impulses and aid infiltration into the bedrock. Dams might be constructed along recent stream channel. Leakage from the valley stream sediment to the underlying limestone would recharge the bedrock aquifer. -Authors