SGDE's Dr. Yoga Korgaonkar published co-authored paper in Groundwater
April 24, 2026
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Congratulations to SGDE's very own Dr. Yoga Korgaonkar, who is co-author on a paper titled "Opportunistic Recharge Enhancement in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions," recently published in Groundwater. (https://ngwa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/gwat.70070)
This publication is the result of extensive collaborative work across the three Arizona universities for the Arizona Tri-University Recharge and Reliability Project (https://ccass.arizona.edu/atur).
Abstract:
Groundwater supplies are stressed by climatic trends, increasing withdrawals, and multiple competing uses, especially in arid and semi-arid environments. We propose opportunistic recharge enhancement (ORE) as a cross-disciplinary, scalable framework to augment groundwater supplies by strategically integrating recharge co-benefits into existing land and water management practices such as forest thinning and stormwater management. These opportunities would allow for enhanced recharge across diverse landscapes, potentially increasing water availability for both human uses and natural systems. A key incentive for ORE is that, while there may be some increases in cost in some cases, the benefits and opportunities for funding may be significantly expanded. Using Arizona, USA, a region experiencing acute groundwater stresses, as an example, we illustrate how ORE can offer a complementary pathway to groundwater resilience with potential to extend to semi-arid and arid areas globally.