EU-funded project supports South Mediterranean countries in regulating the recharge of aquifers with adequately treated wastewater

The EU-funded Sustainable Water Integrated Management – Support Mechanism (SWIM-SM) project has recently published a report and a set of guidelines intended to assist legislators and government officials from the South Mediterranean countries in the design and administration of a regulatory environment for the safe "managed aquifer recharge (MAR)" with adequately treated wastewater (or reclaimed water). 

Despite the fact that technologies have been developed to produce safe and reliable water supplies out of reclaimed water the uptake has been limited by lack of a policy and a clear and consistent regulatory framework. This is regrettable considering that the potential for reusing treated wastewater to recharge aquifers for irrigation in the Mediterranean countries is significant and can play an important role as part of a package of measures to protect aquifers from seawater intrusion, restore the groundwater balance and sustain groundwater-supported local livelihoods, economic activity in general, and ecosystems.

Guidelines and recommendations provided in the document build upon available literature and five original case studies illustrating the regulatory approach and experience in South Africa, Israel, the State of Arizona (USA), the State of Western Australia (Australia) and Spain. While the case studies show that no country has yet adopted a specific set of provisions to cover the entire process, but are rather regulating the different stages of MAR-related activities through existing legislation on groundwater abstraction, wastewater discharge and treated wastewater reuse, the guidelines seek actually to cover all operational elements of MAR licensing.

Review and fine-tuning of the Guidelines are recommended as SWIM Partner Countries (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine and Tunisia) develop their own regulatory framework based on their national specificities and as the Guidelines are put to the test.