Pilot test: infiltrating treated water to recover overused aquifers

The project

Among other powers, the Water Resources Administration is responsible for hydrological planning, the objective of which is to ensure the good state of the bodies of water and protect the hydraulic public domain, meeting water demand and balance of regional and sectoral development by increasing availability of the resource, preserving quality and rationalising its use.

The current situation of meteorological drought has revealed the fragility of the current supply system, which is not exempt from suffering from droughts, as well as the need for other non-conventional resources. The different climate change scenarios suggest that rainfall will reduce, making this need even more important.

We have a highly important resource which, rather than being a problem, could be a great opportunity: sewage, which once treated can be used to recharge aquifers and indirectly supply the population. This recharging can be done with prior treatment, which may be less costly at the energy and economic levels than desalinating sea water.

The purpose of the project is to install an advanced pilot treatment plant and infiltrate reclaimed water into an aquifer with all control and water extraction systems in place. The actions to be carried out include carrying out a study of alternatives from among the different available treatments, installing a pilot treatment plant that enables water of different qualities to be treated, the construction and equipping of recharge wells and piezometer monitors, the purchase and installation of continuous logging probes for taking samples for water quality controls, and research together with the operation and suitable monitoring for at least ten months.