Over-exploitation of groundwater in the regions favorable for human settlements around the world has raised uncertainties on the sustainability of this precious resource in the future. However, the stress on the fresh groundwater zones can be reduced substantially by managing inland brackish/saline aquifers. Freshwater when available in excess can be stored judiciously in such aquifers for later on use; though a certain quantity of fresh water is lost during its storage and recovery depending upon the in situ groundwater gradient and buoyancy effect (caused due to density difference in the injected and ambient waters). Hence, increasing the efficiency of freshwater recovery was our prime concern, and for which there was a need to know the interface boundaries of freshwater stored in the ambient water. For the purpose, a new method has been developed and proposed in this paper that is based on the hydraulics of an injection well and the breakthrough curve of the injected tracer through the storage medium (i.e. aquifer). The close agreement between the outcome of the proposed model and method with the field observations has validated the acceptance of this innovative concept. The model results show that the shape acquired by the injected freshwater in the brackish/saline aquifer depends upon the screened location of the well about its centerline. Additionally, the storage of freshwater in the upper portion of the aquifer is the most efficient way to minimize its contact with the ambient water and subsequently its loss due to the development of the dispersion zone.

世界各地有利于人类住区的地区对地下水的过度开采，为这种珍贵资源的可持续性未来带来了不确定性。但是，通过管理内陆微咸/咸水含水层，可以大大减少对新鲜地下水带的压力。可以将多余的淡水明智地储存在此类含水层中，以备后用；尽管根据原地地下水梯度和浮力效应（由于注入水和环境水的密度差异而造成），一定数量的淡水在存储和回收期间会损失掉。因此，提高淡水回收效率是我们的首要任务，为此，有必要了解存储在环境水中的淡水的界面边界。为目的，基于注入井的水力和注入的示踪剂通过存储介质（即含水层）的穿透曲线，本文开发并提出了一种新方法。所提出的模型和方法的结果与现场观察结果之间的密切一致性，证实了这一创新概念的接受。模型结果表明，咸淡/盐水层中注入的淡水所获得的形状取决于井围绕其中心线的筛选位置。另外，将淡水存储在含水层的上部是最有效的方法，可最大程度地减少淡水与环境水的接触，并减少由于分散区的发展而造成的损失。