Refilling the Hidden Reservoir

Much of the world's freshwater sits underground in aquifers, and in many regions we pump them faster than rain can refill them — causing wells to run dry and the land itself to sink.

Managed aquifer recharge flips the trend: utilities deliberately steer surplus or treated water into the ground through spreading basins or injection wells, banking it for dry years, easing land subsidence, and holding back saltwater that would otherwise creep into coastal supplies.