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[[Image:riverbed infiltration galleries icon.png|right|80px]]
[[Image:OmoRiver.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The Omo River in Ethiopia, Africa. <br>Photo: [http://www.flickr.com/photos/neslab/6826784275/ Davide Comelli.]]]
Riverbeds having catchments of flat farmland usually contain fine textured sand, that can only yield a maximum of 100 litres of water from 1 m3. of sand, i.e. an extraction rate of 10%. Stony riverbeds containing boulders and fractured rocks have the lowest potential for water extraction due to seepage caused by the boulders and fractured rocks. This seepage is, however, beneficial for replenishment of boreholes situated on riverbanks.
===Suitable conditions===
* Infiltration galleries are often installed in shallow or fine sediment beds where there is poor permeability or lack of sand depth – in this case, the length proves to be advantageous.
* They can also be sited in areas where riverbanks are too high to allow manual or motorized suction pumps to operate.
===Resilience to changes in the environment===
====Drought====
'''Effects of drought''': Can dry up. <br>
More information on managing drought: [[Resilient WASH systems in drought-prone areas]].
===Construction, operations and maintenance===
'''General advice on cement''': A common cause of cracks in structures and linings (e.g. in tanks, dams, waterways, wells) is errors in mixing and applying the cement. First of all, it is important that only pure ingredients are used: clean water, clean sand, clean rocks. The materials have to be mixed very thoroughly. Secondly, the amount of water during mixing needs to minimal: the concrete or cement needs to be just workable, on the dry side even, and not fluid. Thirdly, it is essential that during curing the cement or concrete is kept moist at all times, for at least a week. Structures should be covered with plastic, large leaves or other materials during the curing period, and kept wet regularly.
* A bucket and rope can be used but risk of contamination increases. In such a case, household water treatment should be advocated.
===Costs===
Below is an example of the costs of labour, materials, and transportation to install a river infiltration system. Currency is in the Kenyan shilling. 100 Ksh = 1.20 USD.<br>
[[File:InfiltrationPipeCosts.jpg|500px]]
==Field experiences== ==Manuals, videos, and links===
* [http://www.watersanitationhygiene.org/References/EH_KEY_REFERENCES/WATER/Surface%20Water/Designing%20Intakes%20for%20Streams%20and%20Rivers%20%28USAID%29.pdf Designing Intakes for Rivers and Streams]. Water for the World. - Lots of design diagrams and instructions on how to build a river intake system.
* [http://www.nwri-usa.org/pdfs/BowerSession8Presentationfinal.pdf Infiltration Gallery Testing for Integration into Dual Purpose Irrigation Systems: Managed Aquifer Recharge in Walla Walla Basin]. Robert Bower, 2011.
===Acknowledgements===
* CARE Nederland, Desk Study: [[Resilient WASH systems in drought-prone areas]]. October 2010.
* Nissen-Petersen, Erik, [http://www.waterforaridland.com/Books/Book3%20water%20from%20dry%20riverbedspdf.pdf Water from Dry Riverbeds: How dry and sandy riverbeds can be turned into water sources by hand-dug wells, subsurface dams, weirs and sand dams] or ([http://docs.watsan.net/Scanned_PDF_Files/Class_Code_2_Water/212.0-06WA-18985.pdf alternative link]) Danish International Development Assistance (Danida) 2006. Waterforaridland.com.
