Portugal’s river basin management plans: groundwater innovative methodologies, diagnosis, and objectives

Abstract

The European Union Water Framework Directive aims to protect inland surface waters, transitional waters, coastal waters, and groundwater and achieve certain environmental objectives through the implementation of programs of measures specified in river basin management plans (RBMPs). For that purpose, information systems have been identified as a priority tool for managing water resources effectively and efficiently, within the process of characterization and modelling of quantitative and qualitative aspects of groundwater bodies, also considering the projected climate change scenarios. This paper addresses some of the innovative issues developed in Portugal for RBMPs, exemplified for the Tagus and for the West RBMPs, e.g. modelling groundwater recharge assessment under climate change scenarios projected for 2071–2101 for the aquifer system of Torres Vedras (West RBMPs). Regarding groundwater depending ecosystems, a methodology to classify regional surface water bodies in hydraulic connection with the underlying body of groundwater is presented. A synthesis of the diagnosis and the proposed objectives is presented for Tagus and West RBMPs. The full report was published by the Consortium that developed the Groundwater Component (Lot 2), formed by Hidroprojecto, LNEC and ICCE, in Lobo Ferreira et al. (Conso´rcio Hidroprojecto/LNEC/ICCE. LNEC, Report 289/2011–NAS 1056 2011a, Conso´rcio Hidroprojecto/LNEC/ICCE. LNEC, Report 290/2011– NAS 597 2011b).