Aquifer replenishment system
A concrete structure for replenishing an aquifer and a method for constructing the same is provided. The structure is comprised of a pavement layer with surface drains that extend through the pavement layer and into an aggregate leach field. The leach field includes leach lines spanning the leach field. An aggregate drain extends from the leach field into a sand lens. Precipitation which falls upon the structure thus flows through the surface drain, absorbed into the aggregate leach field, and transported to the aggregate drains by way of aggregate leach lines. The water is then absorbed into the sand lens, ultimately replenishing the aquifer. Existing conventional pavement structures are retrofitted by the removal of a section of the pavement, and filling the same with porous concrete.
1. An aquifer replenishing pavement formed above soil having a sand lens above said aquifer and a clay layer above said sand lens, comprising:
an aggregate leach field having a top surface, and a bottom surface abutting said clay layer;
a pavement layer having an exposed top surface, and a bottom surface abutting said aggregate leach field;
one or more surface drains extending from said exposed top surface to said bottom surface of said pavement layer; capable of draining surface water from said exposed top surface to said aggregate leach field; and
one or more aggregate drains extending from said aggregate leach field into said sand lens through said clay layer further draining said surface water into said aquifer.
2. The aquifer replenishing pavement as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said surface drains have a higher porosity than said pavement layer.
3. The aquifer replenishing pavement as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said surface drains are filled with rocks.
4. The aquifer replenishing pavement as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising one or more leach lines within said aggregate leach field.
5. The aquifer replenishing pavement as set forth in claim 4 , wherein said surface drains are in direct fluid communication with said leach lines.
6. The aquifer replenishing pavement as set forth in claim 4 , wherein said leach lines are in direct fluid communication with said aggregate drains.
7. The aquifer replenishing pavement as set forth in claim 4 , wherein said leach lines are co-planar with said aggregate leach field.
8. The aquifer replenishing pavement as set forth in claim 4 , wherein the pavement layer is concrete.
9. The aquifer replenishing pavement as set forth in claim 4 , wherein the pavement layer is water permeable asphalt.