The occurrence of pharmaceuticals was investigated in an urban aquifer that might be a resource for water supply. Among the 92 pharmaceuticals, 35 were detected in all groundwater samples, ranging from the low ng/L to 44.5 µg/L. The concentration of some substances decreased along the bank filtration, suggesting the occurrence of natural attenuation processes. Finally, risk quotients showed that these substances did not pose a risk to human health at groundwater measured concentrations.

This paper explores the impact of low enthalpy geothermal energy (LEGE) on the behaviour of organic contaminants of emerging concern (CECs). Specifically, we investigate the impact of LEGE on phenazone that is an analgesic drug commonly reported in urban aquifers. CECs pose a risk for the environment and human health, and thus, they must be eliminated to increase the available fresh-water resources in urban areas, where water scarcity is a matter of concern due to the population growth.

In the current climate and socioeconomic context, The Katari and Minor Lake Titicaca basin (Bolivia) has special interest because of the sensitive and vulnerable environment and ecosystems around the Titicaca Lake. These environments support traditional local human populations and other beneficial human activities. That is why we made workshops with local authorities and performed a global vision of the aquifer behavior and its vulnerability, which would generate a better decision-make process.

The project develops an integrated methodology to optimise the protection of groundwater catchments from urban pollution. This requires identifying their origins which are not always known, characterising composition and importance in terms of pollutant load, assessing current/future risks for the environment and the catchment itself, and the need for remediation. To do so, a combination of tracers and approaches has been applied and a decision-making reference system is going to be developed.

The knowledge of the aquifer characteristics and its quality together with these vulnerable areas may lead to improve the installation of SUDS, reducing the input of contaminants through these infrastructures. The implementation of this methodology aims to facilitate water users and urban managers to control their potential negative effects on the receiving water body. In addtion, the outcomes of its application may be used to optimize the groundwater management in the city.

The CASPER project funded by SPGE in the Walloon Region of Belgium aims at developing an integrated approach for the evaluation and management of pollution risks for peri-urban groundwater catchmentswhich fully complies with the requirements of the 2020 DWD recast. It is based on a mass-flux risk assessment concept and a associated GIS-based decision support system.

The processes which dictate replenishment of coastal aquifer systems under demographic pressures in a fast-growing megacity, Lagos, Nigeria are yet to be quantified and understood. The recharge estimates and trends provided from this study show that over the last two decades, water demand has overtaken the recharge rate over the urban agglomeration and is now rapidly converging towards the total aquifer recharge rate.

The demand of water for human consumption in urban areas is crucial where groundwater must be consider a useful resource, but commonly in these context due to anthropic activities these water are highly contaminated. Among these contaminants of special interest are the contaminants of emerging concern which present a high risk to the aquatic environment and human health. We found and study a series of these compounds in Barcelona’s groundwaters and identify some possible origins/sources of them.

Stormwater could augment our over-drafted urban groundwater resources. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance to fully understand stormwater contaminant presence, transport, and fate in the built environment to design novel or improve conventional treatment systems. Preliminary results have confirmed presence of toxic metals in Barcelona urban runoff (with significant differences depending on the catchment areas), along with decreased metal concentrations at green infrastructure outlets.