Background The rivers of the Mediterranean countries are subject to intense human occupancy that causes problems in the exploitation of their resources. The overuse of water resources (urban, industrial and agricultural) leads to the following impacts on alluvial aquifers: • The water table is lowered and the capacity of the bores is reduced. • The drought period is extended, leaving the river bed dry for increasing periods. • Groundwater quality is reduced and urban water supply sources become polluted. • Protected wetlands dry up, biodiversity is lost and conservation problems arise. Objectives The Tordera Aquifer project will strive to reverse this trend by improving water management in the Tordera municipality. The objectives are as follows: •Improve quality of the sewage system. •Recycled treated water for conservation (aquifer recharge, establishment of wetlands). •Use of renewable energy and low-maintenance, soft treatment systems in the processes. •Serve as a pioneer example for other communities in the same river basin which can manage their water resources in a similar way. Results This project is an example of efficient water management, which promotes the reuse of water and the use of renewable energies. The improvement of water quality, the closure of the water cycle through the reuse of treated waste water and the creation of an infiltration wetland, along with the restoration of the fluvial area, have lead to both environmental and social benefits. Through the improved quality and reuse of the treated urban waste water, the aim was to promote a policy base on protecting the aquifer. Likewise, the improvement of the town’s environmental action directed at local sustainability will lead to a greater quality of life for the population and improve the environment of the town. The project will also contribute to promoting the environmental and landscape value of the fluvial areas, which are close to the town. The creation of the lagoon will increase the biodiversity of these areas along with the environmental and landscape quality of the river area. Innovation and demonstration character The main innovation of the project was the transport of treated water upstream. Waste Water Treatment Plants and tertiary treatments generally tend to dump the treated water into the river. In Tordera however, this water is returned to the the same place in the river where extraction wells for water consumption are allocated. In this way, water can be reused in a closed cycle. Furthermore, this system only uses solar energy. Therefore, there is no energy spent for the system to work. This project can be transferred to other sites with similar environmental difficulties, in particular to Mediterranean or semi-arid areas. Environmental and social benefits Direct environmental benefits of the project are: - Creation of a wetland area. - Recovering piezometric levels of the aquifer. It permits the long term survival of nearby natural wetlands. - Decrease of the salinity intrusion. It protects the wells which supply water for urban areas from salinisation. Effectiveness of the dissemination campaign The project has gained the support of citizens: interest in the project has been generated among schools, local entities and students through the dissemination conference, the itinerant exhibition and the website. Job creation The Waste Water Treatment Plant will employ one person for the maintenance of the soft treatment plant and the pumping system and the City Council will employ a technician for the maintenance of the marsh infiltration wetland.