Optimal location of artificial recharge of treated wastewater using fuzzy logic approach

Increasing water demands in light of limited water resources have intensified exploitation and drawdown of groundwater. On the other hand, rising water demand has accelerated wastewater production. Therefore, urban wastewater management via artificial recharge may play a significant role in aquifer management. While site selection for artificial recharge projects is a major challenge, fuzzy logic provides one of the most viable approaches for this purpose. Considering the high volume of wastewater production in Tehran, Iran, the present study investigated the efficient use of this source for recharging the Tehran-Shahriar aquifer. First, effective wastewater and recharge factors were identified. Next, fuzzy logic was used to assign appropriate weights to data layers. Then, the selected layers were merged to produce an artificial recharge location map. The results showed that the identified areas were sufficiently vast to recharge the planned volumes of treated wastewater. However, the identified areas and the gradient of groundwater flow will limit the positive impacts of recharge on the aquifer. All in all, the fuzzy site selection model implemented via geographical information system is an efficient tool to identify suitable sites for artificial recharge of aquifers with treated wastewater.