The process of capturing surface water or recycled water, and injecting it into an aquifer via a system of bores for future extraction is the typical definition of managed aquifer recharge. This does not occur in the South East Queensland (SEQ) region on any large scale.
Release of water from reservoirs for the purpose of recharging the alluvial aquifers along the river system does occur in the SEQ region. This is undertaken to recharge the aquifer and enable groundwater users to access groundwater where this may not have been available without the releases from the reservoirs.
This was not able to be quantified for the National Water Account 2010. It is expected that more information on these releases may be available in the future.
Groundwater licence areas that rely on groundwater recharge to provide adequate groundwater for extraction are called 'Benefitted Areas'. Further information on Benefitted Area extractions can be found at line item 16.5.3.7 Groundwater allocation extraction – other lumped holders.