The provision of water supply, sanitation and drainage are key elements of the urbanizaiton process. Urbanization causes radicalchanges in the frequency and rate of groundwater recharge, with a general tendency for volume to increase siginificantly and for quality to deteriorate substantially. 

To increase the reliability of water supply, artificial recharge of groundwater basins is becoming increasingly important where conjunctive use of surface water and groundwater resources is considered. Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) is the purposeful recharge of water to aquifers for subsequent recovery or environmental benefits. MAR can be used to store water from various sources, such as stormwater, reclaimed water, mains water, desalinated seawater, rainwater or even groundwater from other aquifers. With the appropriate treatment, it may be used for drinking water supplies, industrial water, irrigation, toilet flushing and sustaining ecosystems.