ABSTRACT:

Recharge Suitable Lands (RSL) is a geospatial raster dataset mapping areas that are suitable for managed aquifer recharge (MAR). It shows lands that that have both (1) low slope and (2) permeable soils, as determined using the USGS's National Elevation Dataset (NED) and USDA's Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO). Using Python GIS libraries, the intersection was delineated between land with slope less than 5%, and land with hydraulic conductivity (Ksat) greater than 1 micrometer per second. This was based on the minimum Ksat across all vertical soil horizons, so that if any one soil layer is an aquitard it precludes recharge suitability. Land with urban development was also removed, but note that this does not ensure that all structures and human property are.

This analysis was completed CONUS-wide at 30m resolution by Earth Genome as part of a Network for Engineering with Nature funded project to develop a MAR Screening Tool for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.