On groundwater innovative methodologies, diagnosis, objectives and measures for Portugal’s new river basin management plans

Abstract

The European Union Water Framework Directive (WFD) aims to protect inland surface waters, transitional waters, coastal waters and groundwater. It also aims to achieve certain environmental objectives through the implementation of programs of measures specified in River Basin Management Plans (RBMP). Information systems have been identified as a prority tool for managing water resources effectively and efficiently, contributing to the goals to be established by RBMP. In this context, the Portuguese regional water authorities (ARHs) Norte (North), Centro (Centre) and Tejo (Tagus) selected LNEC to conduct studies for the design and development of geographic information to support planning and management of water resources. Besides, ARH Tejo also selected LNEC to develop groundwater components of Tagus River and Ribeiras do Oeste Basin Management Plans (Tagus RBMP/Oeste RBMP). This included the characterization and modeling of quantitative and qualitative aspects of groundwater bodies. Aiming to dessiminate EU Member-states water resources scientific knowledge in PR China, this paper addresses some of the innovative issues developed in Portugal for RBMP, exemplified for the Tagus RBMP and the Oeste RBMP, e.g. climate change scenarios modeling and the results of major changes expected for groundwater recharge by 2071-2101. This evaluation was based on expected values of temperature increase and decrease in precipitation for the aquifer system of Torres Vedras (Oeste RBMP). Regarding groundwater depending ecosystems results of a methodology to classify regional surface water bodies expected to be in hydraulic connection with the underlying body of groundwater is presented. Tagus RBMP and Oeste RBMP groundwater outcome was published by the Consortium that developed the Groundwater Component (Lote 2) of Tagus RBMP and Oeste RBMP, formed by Hidroprojecto, LNEC and ICCE, in Lobo-Ferreira et al. (2011a and b).