Design of a Technical-Artisanal Dike for Surface Water Storage and Artificial Recharge of the Manglaralto Coastal Aquifer. Santa Elena Parish, Ecuador

Abstract

Manglaralto parish communities are supplied with drinking water extracted from shallow aquifers (associated with alluvial terraces) recharged by seasonal rivers. The companies responsible for extracting and distributing water are the Manglaralto Regional Drinking Water Administration Board (JAAPMAN, for its acronym in Spanish) and Olon Regional Board of Drinking Water (JRAPO, for its acronym in Spanish). However, due to population growth and tourism (floating population) of Manglaralto parish, water demand has increased. This has meant that, during the dry season, the water stored in these underground reservoirs is not enough to meet the growing demand. The case study presented is that of the Manglaralto community. The aim is to design, in a technical way, an artisanal dyke (tape) by performing geological-geotechnical studies that allow optimal surface storage and artificial recharge of aquifers for the provision of water to communities. The methodology is as follows: i) Analysis of the technical starting information, ii) Recognition of the study site and the choice of sampling sites, iii) Conducting laboratory tests and analysis of information obtained in the field, and iv) Technical design of the tape. According to laboratory results and the field data analysis, the design of a spillway dyke equipped with a dentellon was defined, which acts as a screen to block the subsurface flow. The rescue of ancestral knowledge, used as a solution to current problems in this coastal community, allows storing a volume of 4,641.88 m3 and an artificial recharge of 15%, with low costs and great social acceptance.

Earth Dam Design for Drinking Water Management and Flood Control: A Case Study

“…In general, the purposes of dams are: (i) to satisfy the supply of drinking and irrigation water in a controlled manner, (ii) to act as a flow regulator system in the event of droughts or floods, and (iii) to generate hydraulic energy. This all fits into a social, environmental, and economic vocation [3][4][5][6][7][8].…”

Mapping Groundwater Potential Zones for Sustainable Agricultural Development in Entre Ríos, Ecuador

“…Groundwater management in the agricultural sector has as its primary focus improvements in efficiency and performance that guarantee sustainability by minimizing environmental impacts, using strategies such as agroecology and Water Sowing and Harvesting (WS&H) systems to address freshwater scarcity in arid and semi-arid areas [12,13]. For example, one of the WS&H systems involves the construction of dams or tapes in strategic locations for the artificial recharge of aquifers (sowing) and their subsequent recovery through wells (harvesting), mitigating problems of water scarcity in agricultural use, maintaining the biodiversity and promoting the creation of a nature-based attraction [14].…”

“…In these places, academic-community research has been vital to understanding the aquifers' state and improving water resources management at the community level through geological-geophysical campaigns and wells monitoring [23]. Additionally, WS&H techniques have been applied through the design of dams or tapes, as documented by several studies [14,24].…”

Hill Dam Design to Improve Water Use in Rural Areas—Case Study: Sacachún, Santa Elena

“…On the Ecuadorian coast, the areas with difficult access to water use hydraulic structures that create artificial wetlands by storing rain. These constructions are known as "albarradas" (closed structures with permanently stagnant water) [21]. Albarradas are constructions made of earthen walls, that for centuries have allowed ancestral communities to obtain and use hydric resources equitably and sustainably [22].…”