Groundwater resources in urban areas are under increasing pressure. The purpose of this manuscript is to demonstrate how adaptive groundwater management techniques can establish conditions for sustainable use of groundwater resources. To illustrate this, a representative transient dataset from the Lower Birs Valley (Switzerland) was investigated. The main focus of this work was to evaluate effects of river-groundwater interaction and artificial groundwater recharge. Results showed that the evaluation of a hundred year flood significantly contributed to the understanding of the transient character of river-groundwater interaction. An extended period without artificial recharge in the study area provided insights into the impact of planned changes in groundwater management. This investigation contributes to the better understanding of recharge processes in the groundwater system and provides a framework for discussion of goals for regional management of urban water resources.