BP6 - Increase infiltration and/or groundwater recharge

Forests act as natural sponges, absorbing excess rainwater to prevent flooding and retaining moisture for gradual release during dry periods. By increasing soil infiltration and storage, forests provide a consistent water supply, buffering against the extremes of climate change and increasing the resilience of ecosystems.

Filter strips are uniformly graded, gently sloping, vegetated strips of land that provide opportunities for slow conveyance and (commonly) infiltration. They are designed to accept runoff as overland sheet flow from upstream development and often lie between a hard-surfaced area and a receiving stream, surface water collection, treatment or disposal system. 

Filter strips are generally planted with grass or other dense vegetation...

Riparian buffers are areas of land, predominantly covered with trees, shrubs, and sometimes grasses, along, and often up-gradient from, streams, watercourses, or water bodies. These natural or restored buffers serve multiple purposes. By maintaining a relatively undisturbed zone adjacent to open water, they play an important role in water quality and flow...

Infiltration trenches are defined as shallow excavations filled with rubble or stone. Their function is to facilitate the natural process of infiltration into the surrounding soils from the bottom and sides of the trench, thereby enhancing the soil's inherent capacity for drainage. Ideally, they should receive lateral inflow...

Streambed (or riverbed) represents the bottom of the river, including each bank. In the past, riverbeds have been artificially modified with concrete or big boulders, altering flows and reducing habitat for wildlife and vegetation diversity. The changes were aimed at preventing flood or supporting changes of agricultural practices for example. This has led to more...

Soakaways are buried chambers that store surface water and allow it to percolate into the ground. They are typically square or circular excavations either filled with rubble or lined with brickwork, pre-cast concrete or polyethylene rings/perforated storage structures surrounded by granular backfill. The supporting structure and backfill...

Groundwater is the part of infiltrated water which composes the water resource for population and human activities.  Previous modifications of the landscape have reduced the infiltration capacity of many European soils, thereby limiting the rate at which precipitation is able to infiltrate and recharge groundwater aquifers. Restoration of natural infiltration to groundwater enables a lowering of run-off from surrounding land, and...

Ongoing climate change affects lake water quality through several mechanisms, including (1) changes in external and internal nutrient loads, (2) increased frequency of extreme events such as hurricanes, (3) temperature-induced changes in biota and biotic interactions, and (4) fluctuations in water levels.
Lakes function as important water retention systems, capable of storing water for flood control and providing water for multiple uses...

A river meander is a U-form taken by the river, allowing it to decrease water velocity. In the past, rivers have been straightened by cutting off meanders. Many rivers in northern and Western Europe have been straightened and channelized to, for example, facilitate log floating and/or speed up the drainage of water and control/limit the river bed movements. Channelizing was also a way to gain land for cultivation. River re-meandering consists...

A floodplain is the area bordering a river that naturally provides space for the retention of flood and rainwater.  Because of regular flooding, floodplain soils are generally very fertile and they have often been dried-out to be used as agricultural land. Floodplains in many places have also been separated from the river by dikes, berms or other structures designed to control the flow of the...