Subsurface Stormwater Storage via Aquifer Injection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for managing storm and waste water often require above-ground retention ponds, which occupy valuable land space and do not contribute to replenishing underground water storage structures.
Innovation Solution
The system involves redirecting storm and waste water into subsurface water storage structures, such as aquifers, bedrock, or abandoned mines, using conduits and pumping techniques to facilitate underground storage and potential reuse.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If above-ground retention ponds are used for water storage, then water management requirement is met, but valuable above-ground land space is occupied
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions water storage from the above-ground dimension to the underground dimension by injecting stormwater into subsurface formations such as aquifers, abandoned mines, and bedrock cavities. This dimensional shift eliminates the need for above-ground retention ponds while maintaining water management functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts water storage functionality from the above-ground environment and relocates it to underground formations. By removing the retention pond structure from the surface and placing water storage capacity in subsurface formations, the land space issue is resolved while water management continues.
2Reliability
If above-ground retention ponds are used for water storage, then water management is achieved, but underground water storage structures are not replenished
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the previously harmful practice of storing stormwater above-ground (which wasted the opportunity to recharge aquifers) into a beneficial underground injection system. The same stormwater that would have been stored in retention ponds is now used to recharge underground water storage structures, transforming a neutral function into a resource replenishment function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges water storage and water recharging functions into a single integrated system. By combining the retention function with aquifer recharge, the system simultaneously achieves water management and underground resource replenishment, eliminating the trade-off between these two functions.
3Area of stationary object
If water is stored in subsurface structures, then land utilization is improved and underground resources are replenished, but access difficulty and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent identifies and utilizes existing subsurface structures such as abandoned mines, aquifers, and bedrock cavities that serve multiple purposes: water storage, land utilization optimization, and underground resource replenishment. By making these existing structures multi-functional, the system avoids the need to create entirely new complex infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs injection wells and conduits as intermediary structures to facilitate water delivery to subsurface formations. These intermediaries simplify the access problem by providing controlled entry points into the underground storage structures, making the complex subsurface environment accessible and manageable.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach allows for efficient land utilization by eliminating the need for above-ground water storage, while also contributing to the replenishment of underground water resources.
Implementation Method 1
In some embodiments, the water is moved underground solely under the force of gravity.
Implementation Method 2
In other embodiments, active pumping techniques can be used, for example, MAR wells.
Data Source
AI summary
In various embodiments, the disclosure relates to a system for locating storm and/or waste water to a subsurface region. The system can be sized to replace, in some instances, retention ponds and to increase developable square footage on a region of land. The system can include a conduit for directing a volume of storm and/or waste water to a subsurface region located at least as deep as the aquifer layer. The system can be sized to handle a volume of water generated during a 100 year storm. In certain embodiments, the subsurface region is located directly below a land structure (e.g., a building structure).