Water Portal / Rainwater Harvesting / Groundwater recharge / Infiltration wells

These are shallow wells which draw water from a natural aquifer outside of a riverbed, but which have a partial lining. They are useful where recharge of the aquifer is low due to low rock/soil permeability.

Suitable conditions

• Site wells at a sufficient distance away from sources of contamination. For microbiological contamination, the distance from the source of contamination (e.g. latrine) to the water intake (screen) needs to be sufficient so as to pose a “low” to “very low” risk – this translates into a minimum of 25 days of potential travel of pathogens in the ground. Travel time is influenced by porosity, hydraulic conductivity (permeability), and hydraulic gradient. For medium size sand with an average porosity, the distance equivalent to 25 days is around 30 metres, but this can increase to over 100 metres for coarser sediments. However, the distance from contamination to water intake can reduce significantly where the screen intake is at a sufficient depth – this is due to greater variation of aquifer properties in vertical directions than lateral, meaning that a borehole with handpump could be placed very close to a latrine with low risk. However, screen depth must increase with increased extraction rate.
• Site where water table is within 5 metres of ground surface, and where soils are stable.
• Site where water demand is low (e.g. for small communities).