Managed Aquifer Recharge - Developing National Guidance

In 1998 the Environment Agency, BGS and UKWIR produced "The Potential for Aquifer Storage and Recovery in England and Wales" to give an overview of ASR, including the drawbacks and advantages of the technique. Since then, several water companies have undertaken trials and research into ASR to determine operational suitability.

In 2020 the Environment Agency published "Meeting our future water needs: a national framework for water resources", which explores England's long term water needs, setting out the scale of action needed to ensure resilient supplies and an improved water environment. In addition, the Regulators' Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development (RAPID) has been formed to help accelerate the development of new water infrastructure and design future regulatory frameworks.

To understand the capacity and opportunity to use managed aquifer recharge (MAR) to support resilience and new infrastructure designs, the Environment Agency is seeking to review the technical and regulatory framework for MAR in England.