Download - 006b NCWRM 2011 Morell_Spain
September 15th, 2011
Athens, Greece
Session 6. Learning from Experiences:
Best Practices and Case Studies
Ignacio MORELLUniversitat Jaume I
Research Institute for Water and Pesticides
Castellón, SPAIN
To mitigate seawater intrusion and to
partially recover the water quality in some
coastal aquifer
Methodological basis for Water Neutrality Projects
(2009)
As a consequence of the report
We proposed eight offset mechanisms to compensate the water use in
a Coca-Cola plant (Valencia, Spain)
One of these mechanisms was
Program Start date September 1st 2011
Program End Date September 1st 2012
Budget $143.000 (98.000 euros)
Granted by Coca- Cola Foundation (Atlanta, USA)
Phase I
Partners
University Jaume I, Castellón, Valencia Community, Spain (Coordinator)
Spanish Geological Survey
Júcar Basin Organism (Ministry of Environment, Central Government)
Department of Environment and Water (Ministry of Environment, Regional Government)
Coca-Cola Spain
The main objective is to establish a methodology to conduct
a pilot project for artificial recharge with regenerated water
in order:
• to combat seawater intrusion
• to collaborate for the remediation of the aquifer
Spain
Madrid Valencia
Granada
Map of Europe
SpainSpainValencia
Community
Valencia
Community
Map of Spain
Valencia is an autonomous community of Spain, located in the east of the
Iberian Peninsula, along the Mediterranean Sea, which comprises the
provinces of Alicante, Castellón and Valencia.
It has a total area of around 24,000 km2 and more than 5,100,000 inhabitants
In the coastal strip has an intense agricultural activity, especially the
cultivation of citrus, and also settles the majority of the population and
industrial and touristical activity
Granada
Valencia
Madrid
Barcelona Duero
Tajo
Guadiana
Guadalquivir Segura
Júcar
Ebro
Galicia
Costa Norte I
Norte II
C.I.
Cataluña
Tinto, Odiel y
Piedras
Norte III C.I. Pais
Vasco
Hydrological Basin of
River Júcar
Hydrological Basin of
River Júcar
Castell ó n de la Plana
Valencia
Alicante
J ú car
Júcar
Serpis
Marina Alta
Marina
Baja
Turia
Palencia –
Los Valles
Mijares – Plana de
Castellón
Cenia -
Maestrazgo
Vinalopó -
Alacantí
Hydrological basin of the river Júcar
Seven exploitation systems
The majority of the territory of
the Valencia Community belong
to the hydrological basin of the
river Júcar
About half of the water demand is satisfied by
groundwater that is extracted from coastal aquifers,
which has suffered in recent decades, serious problems
of overexplotation and the increasing salinization of
groundwater as a result of seawater intrusion and other
mechanisms
The reuse of urban waste water is, from a few years ago, a
common practice to alleviate the shortage of irrigation water.
The current degree of reuse is:
• 53% in Alicante
• 32% in Valencia
• 5% in Castellón
The remaining wastewater is discharged into streams and, mostly,
to the sea through submarine outfalls.
Agua dulce
Agua saladaINTERFASE
Upconing
Agua dulce
Agua saladaINTERFASE
UpconingFreshwater
Seawater
Overexploitation
Seawater intrusion is the movement of saline
water into freshwater aquifers. Most often, it is
caused by groundwater pumping from coastal
wells
Castell ó n de la Plana
Valencia
Alicante
J ú car
Júcar
Serpis
Marina Alta
Marina
Baja
Turia
Palencia –
Los Valles
Mijares – Plana de
Castellón
Cenia -
Maestrazgo
Vinalopó -
Alacantí
Work
areas
Work
areas
Oropesa -
Vinaroz
Oropesa -
Vinaroz
Valencia -
Sagunto
Valencia -
Sagunto
Gandía - DeniaGandía - Denia
AlicanteAlicante
CastellonCastellon
Artificial recharge is the planned, human activity of
augmenting the amount of groundwater available through
works designed to increase the natural replenishment of
the aquifers, resulting in a corresponding increase in the
amount of groundwater available for abstraction
Pumping
well
Sea
Freshwater
Sea
Pumping
well Recharge
well
Saline water
Saline
water
Freshwater
Regenerated water is
former wastewater that has been treated to
remove solids and certain impurities
and then used in sustainable landscaping
irrigation or to recharge groundwater aquifers
WastewaterWastewaterTreated or
depurated
water
Treated or
depurated
water
Regenerated
water
Regenerated
water
To be returned to
environment or to
be used for
irrigation
To be reused in
artificial recharge or
to be use in
irrigation if high
vulnerability exists
Raw water, to
be depurated
Primary or
secondary
treatment
Tertiary or advanced
tertiary treatment
• Is one of the overarching ideas of the regional
government for water management
• It is a relevant issue in the Hydrologic Plan of
Spanish government
• It is a suggestive scientific and technological
challenge
• From the ‘Neutrality Water’ point of view, is a fair
offset mechanism
There are significant health restrictions
Urban wastewater, generally have
• high salinity
• high concentrations of some harmful ions (sodium, ammonium, chloride,
phosphate, boron ..)
• organic matter
• microorganisms
• and so-called Emerging Chemicals Contaminants, which are hundreds of
compounds in good part related to pharmaceuticals and personal care
(Protective, Care and Pharmaceutical Products), pesticides, drugs, food
additives and chemicals used in many different types of industry.
Some advanced tertiary treatment could be needed
•Nitrification – denitrification
•Desalinization (ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis)
•Desinfection
•Removing some PPCP,s
The extension of the treatment depends on the groundwater quality in the
area where the recharge will be done
If the objective is only stablish a hydraulic
barrier where very saline water exists, then,
conventional tertiary treatment and water-
soil-aquifer interaction is needed
Hydrodynamic
approach
Hydrogeochemical
approach
There are two extreme posibilities
If the recharge also pursue increasing the
water resources, then, exhaustive (and
expensive) treatments are required
Our idea is work in the hydrodynamic approach, but
also apply efforts to investigate the fate of PPCP,s.
If more intensive treatment is required, the
economical factor could be critical
Phase I
Phase II
Phase III
Pilot experience
Theoretical approach
Operating
phase
1 year
2 years
The Water Recovery Project is structured
in three phases well defined
• State of the art
• Identify targets along the Valencia coastal areas
• Selection of pilot area
• Detailed geological and hydrogeological studies, including
geophysical prospection and piezometers building
• Design of recharge systems
• Monitoring plan
• Administrative licenses
• Recharge systems building
• Hydrodynamic control
• Hydrogeochemical monitoring
• Mathematical simulation model
• Operation and maintenance guide
• Management
• Maintenance
• Monitoring
Thank you for your attention
I hope to show you next year the results of the
achievements obtained