Aquifer Storage & Recovery Program

Graphic Illustration of the ASR ProcessAbout Aquifer Storage & Recovery (ASR)

Aquifer Storage and Recovery is a program in which a groundwater basin is used as an underground reservoir. High quality water is injected into the ground through a well when available in the winter and during wet years, and then pumped out through the same well when demand is high in the summer and during dry years.

Monte Vista Water District began injecting water into the Chino Groundwater Basin in June 2007, initiating the first-ever ASR program in the Basin.

Model Results of Nitrate Reduction Following InjectionBenefits

ASR is an innovative new strategy for sustainably managing water resources in California. Not only does ASR help to replace water pumped out of the basin on an annual basis, but the high quality water injected into the basin improves the overall groundwater quality. Nitrate, a salt contaminant left over from past agricultural fertilizers, will be diluted over time by Monte Vista Water District's injection program.

The District has constructed a total of three ASR wells and modified one existing well to serve as ASR wells that have dual functions of pumping and injecting water into the aquifer. When excess imported water is available, annual injection is anticipated to be approximately 4,000 acre-feet, or over 1.3 billion gallons! The District obtained a $4.3 million loan from the California Department of Water Resources to assist with the financing of the program.

Integrated Project of the Year AwardAward

The District's ASR Program was the recipient of the "2005 Integrated Project of the Year Award" from the Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority.