LIFE REMAR Project, Renaturalizing Treated Wastewater through Managed Aquifer Recharge
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Water scarcity is a growing concern in Mediterranean coastal areas, where intensified groundwater extraction causes aquifer overexploitation and promotes seawater intrusion. The LIFE REMAR project (LIFE20 ENV/ES/000284) addresses this issue by repurposing treated wastewater from the Cambrils wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) to recharge the Plioquaternari Detrital Aquifer of Camp de Tarragona implementing a Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) system. The project employs a Soil-Aquifer Treatment (SAT) system with reactive barriers composed of aquifer sediments and plant-derived organic matter. These barriers promote a sequence of redox states, increasing the number of sorption sites and promoting biodegradation of various pollutants, including contaminants of emerging concern, microplastics, pathogens, and antibiotic resistance genes. The system is designed to recharge 146,000 m³ of water annually, approximately 4% of the WWTP effluent, mitigating aquifer depletion while improving treated wastewater and groundwater quality. Most nitrogen in the infiltration water, i.e. the WWTP effluent, primarily in ammonium form, undergoes microbiological nitrification and denitrification, decreasing nitrogen levels. Recharge has also significantly reduced nitrate concentrations directly beneath the basins, in the saturated zone, addressing the aquifer’s initial poor qualitative state. Additionally, Escherichia coli concentrations in the infiltration water are also reduced during recharge. By increasing available freshwater resources and improving aquifer conditions, this project offers a sustainable strategy for managing coastal groundwater systems. The REMAR system contributes to protect water resources and to improve the quantitative and qualitative state of the aquifer. Results from this pilot study will inform the design of a larger-scale system implementation, which would lead to increased freshwater availability, restored submarine groundwater discharge areas and coastal ecosystems, and seawater intrusion mitigation, thus contributing to face water scarcity. Acknowledgments The LIFE REMAR project (LIFE20 ENV/ES/000284) has received funds from the European Union.