Brief description

Storing water in high quality and quantity is the key to sustainable water management. Smart-SWS, with its consistent storage of runoff peaks and wild runoff in existing aquifers and the delayed and long-term provision of the stored water in dry periods, goes well beyond flood protection during extreme events and links flood and drought management. The time scale of extreme hydrological events is strikingly asymmetrical: short-term heavy rainfall and flood events (days) contrast with long-term dry periods (weeks to months). The conflicting requirements of highly efficient infiltration and at the same time strongly delayed discharge force technical interventions in infiltration, conditioning of the water to ensure groundwater quality, and regulation of the outflow into the receiving water. To ensure safe operation, measurement concepts, and sensor networks are being developed that combine stationary sensor technology with mobile data collection using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.

 

Objectives

The goal is the technical implementation of a decentralized storage concept in existing aquifers capable of storing one or more flood peaks and releasing them to the receiving water with a very significant time delay or holding them for higher-value use.

 

Work packages (WP)

WP 1: Project coordination, public relations

WP 2: Development of the storage concept and parameterization of the storage facilities

WP 3: Experimental parameterization of the storage concepts

WP 4: Technical implementation of a pilot reservoir

WP 5: Planning of a natural reservoir

WP 6: Monitoring of the storage systems

WP 7: Hydraulic and hydrogeochemical modeling of the storage systems

WP 8: Legal issues and implementation

WP 9: Synoptic evaluation

 

Partners

 

Funding

BMBF funding measure WaX – Hydrological extreme events