Deliverable 4.5 - Managed aquifer recharge as a solution to water scarcity and drought. Mar to improve the groundwater status in south Portugal

Abstract

This report integrates an update of all the relevant work done for WP4 “DEMO Site 2: Algarve and Alentejo, South Portugal”, previously reported. This Deliverable 4.5, together with Deliverable 4.4 concerning hydrogeological modelling at the South Portugal MARSOL demonstration sites, summarize all work performed in the Portuguese DEMO sites. The main objectives of WP4 are to demonstrate how MAR can contribute as an alternative source of water, in the context of an integrated and inter-annual water resources management, as well as in solving groundwater quality problems caused by previous agricultural practices and wastewater discharges. Three DEMO sites (Figure 1) have been chosen for WP4: - PT1: Rio Seco and Campina de Faro aquifer system (Algarve) - PT2: Querença-Silves limestone karstic aquifer system (Algarve) - PT3: Melides aquifer, river and lagoon (Alentejo) In PT1 – Rio Seco and Campina de Faro aquifer system (Algarve) – the main goal is to improve the groundwater quality heavily contaminated with nitrates (vulnerable zone), mainly due to agriculture bad practices. In PT2 – Querença-Silves limestone karstic aquifer system (Algarve) – there are two main sub-areas and two goals: (1) develop a soil-aquifer-treatment (SAT) system to improve the water quality of treated effluents from a waste water treatment plant (WWTP) (PT2_4) at São Bartolomeu de Messines (SB Messines), which discharges into Ribeiro Meirinho river (PT2_5) that in turn recharges the karstic aquifer, and (2) increase groundwater storage at Cerro do Bardo karstic area using wet years surface water surplus to increase the water availability in dry years and facilitate downstream water supply. In PT3 – Melides aquifer, river and lagoon (Alentejo) – the main goal is to use SAT-MAR to remove rice field pollutants prior to their discharge in Melides lagoon. The work developed for the different DEMO sites was developed in the following tasks: - Task 4.1: Recharge water availability - Task 4.2: Developing the (MAR) infrastructures - Task 4.3: Investigation and monitoring - Task 4.4: Modelling

The results are being presented in five main deliverables: D4.1: Water sources and availability at the South Portugal MARSOL demonstration sites D4.2: South Portugal MARSOL demonstration sites characterisation D4.3: Monitoring results from the South Portugal MARSOL demonstration sites D4.4: Hydrogeological modelling at the South Portugal MARSOL demonstration sites D4.5: MAR to improve the groundwater status in South Portugal (Algarve and Alentejo) This report presents the results from D4.3: Monitoring results from the South Portugal MARSOL demonstration sites.