Author(s)

M. Pulido, J. Andreu, A. Sahuquillo, V.Pinilla, A. Sánchez, J. Capilla & J. Paredes

Abstract

The water resources system made up by the Adra River basin and the Campo de Dalias aquifer is located in western Almeria (Spain). The climate conditions of the area and the application of high-tech agricultural methods have led to a very high value crop production. However, water is a very scarce resource in the area, and the Campo de Dalias system of aquifers is under a very important overexploitation. The undesirable effects include seawater intrusion, important local drawdowns and a general decay in water quality. In this framework optimizing the management of the available resources with the criteria of minimizing overexploitation effects is of paramount importance. In order to determine the optimum management, the system has been represented by means of a mathematical model based on the simulation model SMGES, integrated in the AQUATOOL Decision Support System. With this model it is possible to evaluate different management strategies accounting for the interaction between surface water and groundwater, changing the operation of the system in different ways. It is possible to specify rules for reservoir operation, limits to pumping as a function of aquifer state, water supply restrictions when stored water volume becomes too low, and so on. The analysis of results shows that the system operation can be improved introducing minimum target volumes to be stored in the upper Adra basin and reorganizing groundwater abstractions.

Keywords