Artificial ground water recharge is being tested in Kansas for the first time.
The water supply for the city of Wichita in south-central Kansas currently comes from two primary sources - the Wichita well field in northern Sedgwick and southwestern Harvey Counties and Cheney Reservoir in southeastern Reno County. Officials have ascertained that these sources will not be adequate to meet the projected city water needs in the 21st century. Artificially recharging the Equus Beds aquifer, which underlies the city well field, is one alternative being considered to meet future demands for water.
"God will naturally recharge the aquifer," engineer Gerald Blain, the water supply projects manager for city government in Wichita, recently told the Kansas City Star. "We're just going to speed the process along."