ABSTRACT
The intensive exploitation of groundwater in some areas of “Arenales aquifer” (Duero basin, Spain) has caused decrease of phreatic levels. Consequently the Agriculture Ministry (MAPA) of the Spanish government has planned to carry out several experiments on artificial recharge in the aquifer. The availability of groundwater analytical data and the characterization of the aquifer through direct and stochastic hydrochemical procedures has improved hydrogeological knowledge and enabled forecasts on the evolution of groundwater quality during artificial recharge. The aim of this report is to define the environmental and aquifer characteristics from the available hydrochemical data, in order to predict the water-rock interaction processes in different areas of the aquifer that will assist in maximizing the benefit and minimizing adverse environmental impacts of artificial recharge activities.
