Links to other projects about MAR

DEMOWARE: Innovation Demonstration for a Competitive and Innovative European Water Reuse Sector (2014-2016)

This FP7 EU project aims to overcome the barriers which constrain the widespread implementation of water reuse around Europe and worldwide (2014-2016). The activities delivered through the project will support equipment and scheme designers, planners and operational staff. The programme has two central ambitions:    (i) to enhance the availability and reliability of innovative water reuse solutions, and    (ii) to create a unified professional identity for the European Water Reuse sector. MAR techniques are been evaluated in different sites to increase water resources availability using reclaimed wastewater. MAR demonstration sites are located in Port de la Selva (Spain) and Shafdan (Israel).

 

DESSIN: Demonstrate Ecosystem Services Enabling Innovation in the Water Sector (2014-2017)

The main objectives of the European FP7 water research project DESSIN are to demonstrate and promote innovative solutions for water scarcity and water quality-related challenges, and to demonstrate a methodology for the valuation of ecosystem services (ESS) (2014-2017). The project evaluates how the approach of ESS can become a driver to foster MAR implementation. The improvements of MAR implementation with respect to Ecosystem services are evaluated in 2 Demonstrations Sites:  at the Llobregat aquifer (Spain), where the linkage between deep aquifer recharge (ASR) and response of Ecosystem Services is evaluated, and in Westland (Netherlands), where the project studies the freshwater supply from brackish aquifers with a combined ASR/RO system.

 

TRUST: Tool for regional - scale assessment of groundwater storage improvement in adaptation to climate change (2009-2011)

The primary goal of the Life+ TRUST project was to demonstrate innovative actions to halt and reverse the decline in the water table of the Veneto and Friuli Plain. These Italian regions have experienced slow but progressive declines in their water tables for the past 30-40 years, a trend which will probably worsen with increased intensity and frequencies of drought linked to climate change. The project developed an innovative hydrological model to estimate the flows of the rivers that feed the aquifer and hydrogeological models. Additionally the effectiveness of MAR techniques was tested at demonstration sites to verify the effect of different land cover, lithology and irrigation techniques. The MAR demonstrations showed the effectiveness of MAR for restoring  aquifers.

 

PREPARED Enabling Change (2010-2014)

The FP7 PREPARED project evaluates the technological preparedness of water supply and sanitation systems of ten cities in Europe to adapt to the expected impacts of climate change. PREPARED shows how the water supply and sanitation systems of cities and their catchments can be adapted to be resilient in the face of challenges related to climate change. The project also aims to show how the technological, managerial and policy adaptation of selected PREPARED cities can be cost effective, carbon efficient and exportable to other urban areas within Europe, and the rest of the world (2010-2014). Regarding MAR technologies, the project has studied the Sant Vicenç dels Horts site (located in Llobregat, Spain) in detail both at the laboratory-scale (by means of a pilot-column operated under conditions representative of the MAR system) and the field-scale (by directly measuring sediments accumulated in settling boxes placed in the SVH MAR site). Results from this study produced a list of recommendations for the improvement of the operation and maintenance of MAR facilities, such that the proposed measures can be directly implanted in SVH recharge system.

 

MARSOL: Demonstrating Managed Aquifer Recharge as a Solution to Water Scarcity and Drought (2014-2106)

This FP7 project's aim is to demonstrate that Managed Aquifer Recharge techniques have the potential to secure 'excess' water and store it in the soil. The MARSOL projects have 3 main tasks: (1) review, evaluate and expand the worldwide available scientific and experimental knowledge on MAR, (2) demonstrate the feasibility and efficiency of MAR in combating future water scarcity threats in the Circum-Mediterranean area using unique DEMO (demonstration) sites and (3) develop innovative solutions that can be generally applied to arid and semi-arid regions.

 

ENSAT: Enhancement of Soil Aquifer Treatment to Improve the Quality of Recharge Water in the Llobregat River Delta Aquifer (2010-2012)

The ENSAT Life+ project aims to enhance and optimize Soil Aquifer Treatment technology, progressing from laboratory studies to a pilot field scale study (located at the recharge site of Sant Vicenç dels Horts, Barcelona). In order to improve the quantity and quality of the upper Llobregat aquifer, two recharge systems located at Sant Vicenç dels Horts (SVH) and Santa Coloma have been constructed in the Barcelona area in 2007. Each of these MAR sites consists of a decantation and an infiltration pond. Recharge water comes mainly from the tertiary effluent of the El Prat del Llobregat WWTP. For aquifer recharge to become a source of indirect potable reuse purposes, all contaminations with pathogens, as well as organic and inorganic pollutants, should be avoided. Lastly, the project aims to improve the quality of  recharge water at Sant Vicenç dels Horts MAR site by means of  implementating an organic substrate layer for enhancing Soil Aquifer Treatment (SAT).

 

SAPH PANI: Enhancement of natural water systems and treatment methods for safe and sustainable water supply in India (2011-2014)

The EU FP7 project Saph Pani seeks to address improvement of natural water treatment systems, including river bank filtration (RBF), managed aquifer recharge (MAR) and wetlands in India . The project builds on a combination of local and international expertise. The project aims to enhance water resources and water supply particularly in water stressed urban and peri-urban areas in different parts of the sub-continent. The project focuses on a set of case study areas in India covering various regional, climati, and hydrogeological conditions, as well as different treatment technologies.

 

NaWaTech: Natural water systems and treatment technologies to cope with water shortages in urbanized areas in India (2012 – 2015)

Project NaWaTech aims to maximise the exploitation of natural and compact technical systems and processes for the effective management of municipal water resources, water supply and sanitation service, and  the municipal water cycle as a whole in urbanised areas of India. This includes natural water systems, such as manmade wetlands and sub-soil filtration and storage via soil aquifer treatment and bank filtration. In addition, compact technical systems such as SBRs and MBRs have made great improvements in the last years. For example, such systems have the ability to absorb highly variable pollution loads; buffer seasonal fluctuations in the availability of water; and can be integrated into urban planning as green infrastructures that provide additional socio-economic benefits.

 

RECLAIM WATER: Water reclamation technologies for safe artificial groundwater recharge (2005-2008)

The strategic objective of the EU FP6 RECLAIM WATER project was to develop hazard mitigation technologies for water reclamation in order to provide safe and cost effective routes for MAR. The work assessed different treatment applications in terms of behaviour of key microbial and chemical contaminants. To provide a better understanding of aquifer recharge, eight international pilot or full scale test sites treating municipal wastewater effluent and/or storm water for aquifer recharge were studied. The activities included the monitoring of more than 50 basic wastewater parameters and contaminants at different locations, at least three times per year.

 

GABARDINE: Groundwater Artificial recharge Based on Alternative sources of water: Advanced integrated technologies and management (2005-2008)

Aquifers are the main source of water in most semi-arid areas of the Mediterranean basin. The objective of the project GABARDINE was to identify alternative sources of water and to investigate the feasibility of their utilitzation both in terms of environmental and economic considerations. The GABARDINE FP6 international research project sought to:1. explore the viability of supplementing existing water resources in semi-arid areas with alternative sources of water that could be exploited based on an integrated water resources management approach,

2. investigate the feasibility of using aquifers as the primary factor for large scale storage of alternative water sources,

3. develop investigation techniques for artificial recharge and injection of the produced alternative water, including monitoring of water quality and purification by natural attenuation and filtration processes,

4. evaluate and quantify the potential impacts of degrading factors, such as climate change, changes in water quality andsalt water intrusion, on the usability of the resources through the development of tools for risk mapping, modelling and monitoring and

5. propose measures for preventing, minimising and mitigating the impact of such factors.

 

Other MAR related platforms

IAH. http://recharge.iah.org/recharge/

ISMAR conferences:

http://recharge.iah.org/recharge/symposia.htm

 

http://www.ismar7.org/