NINFA

The context

Groundwater is an important resource for water supply that is currently threatened by:

• saline intrusion;
• pollution with pesticides and nutrients (agriculture), pharmaceuticals and antibiotic resistance genes from wastewater treatment plant effluents, hydrocarbons and heavy metals (runoff), and microplastics (both);
• the effects of global and climate change;

Although several initiatives have developed measures and tools for groundwater monitoring and protection, additional knowledge is needed to:

• understand the synergistic effects and risks of multiple stressors and contaminants,
• develop cost-effective groundwater monitoring strategies, pollution prevention and abatement technologies,
• develop cost-effective strategies for monitoring early warning systems.

The project

NINFA will provide a novel strategy based on an early-warning DSS and knowledge base (the NINFA Plat-form) and a series of innovative and cost-effective monitoring, modelling and treatment solutions, considering diverse pollutants (nutrients, pesticides, salinity, CECs, ARG, and MP) and synergistic effects regarding stressors derived from climate and global changes, with the aim of preventing GW contamination, protecting its quality and enhancing its resilience.

Other sources of pollution, including wastewater treatment plant effluent and urban runoff infiltration (especially during storms), contaminate groundwater with contaminants of concern (CECs) such as pharmaceuticals, microplastics, and antibiotic resistance genes, as well as hydrocarbons and heavy metals. In addition, the exploitation of aquifers for water consumption results in increased pressure on groundwater resources, which may be exacerbated by climate change (lack of natural recharge to aquifers). In coastal aquifers, this problem is exacerbated by the intrusion of salts, mainly caused by water abstraction, which affects the quality of the groundwater.

The method

NINFA’s innovative approach aims to facilitate the transition to a more effective groundwater management decision-making system by increasing knowledge of water flows, in situ mobility, and CEC transformation, and by developing predictive models to promote the treatment and reuse of water and its quality.

IMT Atlantique will lead the WP 1 ”Case studies specifications, requirements and knowledge gathering”. WP 1 Main objectives will be to :

• collect the case studies specifications;
• propose the methodology to monitor KPIs during the project lifetime for evaluating the monitoring strategy, modelling and water treatment technologies;
• collect and compile data in the Knowledge base
• develop a cartography of facilitators and brakes at the case studies level;
• conduct an continuous investigation of the evolution of the legislation to ensure adequation and compliance of NINFA approaches to national and European legislations;
• conduct a participatory approach to fully comply and implement citizen science by investigating conditions to ensure acceptability of wastewater reuse for citizens.

IMT Atlantique is also involved in WP 3 Task 3.2 “Removal of CEC, MP and ARGs from WWTPs effluents: optimisation at lab scale”.

The participants

• Coordinator : ACONDICIONAMIENTO TARRASENSE ASSOCIACION - LEITAT
• CENTER FOR TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH ANDINNOVATION (CETRI) LTD - CETRI
• INSTITUT MINES-TELECOM
• STICHTING WETSUS, EUROPEAN CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR SUSTAINABLE WATER TECHNOLOGY - WETSUS
• WINGS ICT SOLUTIONS INFORMATION & COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES IKE -
• STICHTING DELTARES
• UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI ROMA LA SAPIENZA
• FCC AQUALIA SA - AQUALIA
• AYUNTAMIENTO DE LOS ALCAZARES

  This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme