In accordance with water laws, groundwater conservation is to be carried out by enterprises, organizations, and institutions the activities of which have an impact on the groundwater conditions. These enterprises, organizations, and institutions must undertake measures with a view to ensure protection against pollution, clogging, and depletion, as well as to improve water condition and dynamics.

Groundwater conservation implies a scope of measures aimed to prevent and remedy the damage of water clogging and depletion, maintain such quality and quantity of groundwater that would allow using it for national economy’s needs.

Groundwater conservation includes:

• compliance with water legislation and other regulatory documents in the area of water use and protection;
• accomplishment of measures aimed to prevent and eliminate leakage of wastewater and pollutants from the land surface to groundwater horizons;
• enhancement of waste water purification level and non-admission of untreated (raw) waste water disposal into streams, water bodies, and subsurface water-bearing horizons;
• strict conformance with the requirements for the procedure of groundwater exploration, designing, construction, and operation of groundwater intakes;
• systematic control over groundwater and environment condition, in particular in water intake sites and in areas of large industrial and agricultural facilities;
• conduction of other water-protection activities for conservation of groundwater.

Among the measures (preventive and special) aimed to prevent groundwater pollution and depletion are the following:

• efficient surface sewage disposal from the areas of industrial enterprises;
• man-made rise of grade elevations of the area;
• installation of protection waterproofing layer as well as wall and bed drainages;
• careful execution of the works for construction of water utility networks;
• building of flood-breaking dams from ground and materials with low fluid loss properties;
• proper management of storage of production wastes and finished products;
• creation of impermeable membranes and watertight diaphragms;
• plugging of idle groundwater wells, anomalistic pits and sinkholes in waterproof layers over water-bearing horizons;
• hydrogeological monitoring over the prevention of useful ground water resources in in-very water-short-supply areas;
• strict compliance with fixed limits on water; taking measures to reduce water withdrawal; re-assessment of water resources where groundwater development practice has not confirmed approved reserves;
• giving up location of water-consuming production facilities in the area considered;
• identification and maintenance of sanitary protection zones;
• organization of routine monitoring observations over the groundwater level and quality in the areas of existing and potential groundwater contamination;
• coordination of the location of all the groundwater use facilities and potential contamination facilities (disposal fields, holding basins, waste storage, etc.) with local geological survey offices.