The conveners have the pleasure of inviting you to the Joint Workshop of the European Projects RECLAIM WATER – GABARDINE, which will be held on March 21-23, 2007 in Sabadell (Barcelona, Spain).

It goes without saying that solutions to global water stress problems are urgently needed yet must be sustainable, economical and safe. Aquifers are the main source of water in most semi-arid zones of the Mediterranean basin. As a result of over-exploitation, hydrologic deficits of varying acuity prevail in these areas. Moreover, the water quality has decreased, due to seawater intrusion and pollution. Aquifer artificial recharge has been practised for a long time in many countries of Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, South Africa, South-East Asia, the former USSR, USA and Australia, for a variety of purposes: restoring groundwater levels, providing a barrier for seawater intrusion, usage of the aquifer as a reservoir facility, usage of the aquifer as a water carrier, prevention of floods and to improve the water quality.

In this sense, the objective of ‘Gabardine’ is to identify alternative sources of water to be artificially recharged and to investigate the feasibility, both environmental and economical, of their utilization. ‘Reclaim Water’ proposes reclaimed municipal wastewater as water alternative source, and has the objective of developing hazard mitigation technologies for water reclamation, providing safe and cost effective routes for artificial groundwater recharge.

Both projects, Gabardine and Reclaim Water, are closely related and this Joint Workshop will enable a closer communication and allow attendants sharing knowledge and information. An overview of the work done in both projects will be given in the workshop. Besides, internationally well-known experts in the field will be invited and will give their views on the aquifer recharge tool.

We hope you enjoy the workshop and the nice town of Sabadell!