Managed aquifer recharge is used to augment groundwater resources and provide resiliency to water supplies threatened by prolonged droughts. It is important that recharge facilities operate at their maximum efficiency to increase the volume of water stored for future use. In this study, we evaluate the use of distributed temperature sensing (DTS) technology as a tool to measure high‐resolution infiltration rates at a large‐scale recharge facility. Fiber optic cable was laid out inside a spreading basin in a spiral pattern, at two different depths. The cables measured the propagation of diurnal surface water temperature oscillations into the basin depth. The rate of heat propagation is proportional to the velocity of the water, making it possible to estimate the infiltration rate from the temperature measurements. Our results showed that the infiltration rate calculated from DTS, averaged over the entire basin, was within 5% of the infiltration rate calculated using a conventional metering method. The high‐resolution data obtained from DTS, both spatially and temporally, revealed heterogeneous infiltration rates throughout the basin; furthermore, tracking the evolution of infiltration rates over time revealed regions with consistently high infiltration rates, regions with consistently low infiltration rates, and regions that evolved from high to low rates, which suggested clogging within that region. Water utilities can take advantage of the high‐resolution information obtained from DTS to better manage recharge basins and make decisions about cleaning schedule, frequency, and extent, leading to improved basin management strategies, reduced O&M costs, and increased groundwater recharge.

中文翻译：

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分布式温度感测可测量整个地下水补给盆地的入渗率。

有管理的含水层补给用于增加地下水资源，并为遭受长期干旱威胁的供水提供弹性。重要的是，补给设施应以其最大效率运转，以增加储存的水量，以备将来使用。在这项研究中，我们评估使用分布式温度传感（DTS）技术作为测量大型补给设施中高分辨率渗透率的工具。将光缆以螺旋状布设在散布盆内，深度为两个不同。电缆测量了昼夜地表水温度振荡向盆地深度的传播。热量的传播速度与水的速度成正比，因此可以根据温度测量值估算渗透率。我们的结果表明，根据DTS计算的整个盆地的平均入渗率在使用常规计量方法计算出的入渗率的5％以内。从DTS获得的高分辨率数据，无论在空间上还是在时间上，都揭示了整个盆地的非均质渗透率。此外，跟踪渗透率随时间的演变揭示了渗透率始终较高的区域，渗透率始终较低的区域以及从高速率演变为低速率的区域，这表明该区域内发生了堵塞。自来水公司可以利用从DTS获得的高分辨率信息来更好地管理补给水池，并就清洗时间表，频率和范围做出决策，从而改善水池管理策略，降低运维成本，