Aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) is a practice used for the management of water supplies. In the
United States, there are more than 50 sites in at least 26 states that have either utilized or investigated
the concept of ASR. As of 2001, there were operational facilities in 15 states and pilot systems in
another 5 states. Feasibility studies for ASR projects have been, or are being, conducted in another 6
states. As water supplies have become limited in more areas of the country, interest in ASR has
expanded. However, regulatory concerns about water rights, degradation of groundwater quality, and
storage and treatment of drinking water supplies have limited its use or have slowed the development
of some ASR facilities. The purpose of the study was to accumulate information on the current
regulatory practices affecting ASR in the various states, including a review of current active projects.
The authors conducted a telephone survey of state water quality and water resources agencies in
every one of the 20 states with an operational or pilot ASR facility. The authors conducted a written
survey of ASR facilities throughout the United States, and received responses from 46 of the 51
facilities identified and surveyed. This paper presents a brief analysis of the similarities and
differences among state regulatory approaches to ASR projects, as determined by survey
results. Complete survey results and analysis, including profiles of each facility and of each state's
regulatory approach, will be posted on the American Water Works Association (AWWA) web site, at a
site maintained by the AWWA Groundwater Committee. Includes 6 references, tables, figures.