MARCLAIMED General Assembly in Lisbon: Advancing collaboration for Managed Aquifer Recharge

On February 11-13, the MARCLAIMED project consortium gathered in Lisbon for its General Assembly, marking a crucial milestone in advancing Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) solutions. Over the three-day meeting, project partners engaged in comprehensive discussions on the progress of work packages, challenges faced, and the next steps in achieving MARCLAIMED’s objectives.

The first day of the General Assembly focused on reviewing key project components and addressing strategic bottlenecks. The agenda included detailed updates on the project’s main progress.

The second day was dedicated to presenting MARCLAIMED’s demo cases, where partners discussed the specific conditions of each site, the first results obtained, identified bottlenecks and planned next steps. This session provided an opportunity to align strategies across different locations and enhance cross-site collaboration.

Field Visit to Comporta Demo Site

On the final day, partners travelled to Comporta to visit the Águas Públicas do Alentejo’s Comporta Wastewater Treatment Plant. As the region is characterised by dry and flooded period, practices of storing water are key in this area. This facility enables the controlled discharge of treated wastewater into streams, where layered compost helps purify the water and enhance its quality safely. In the first year of MARCLAIMED, a reactive organic layer was installed to monitor and assess water quality improvements over time.

Demo Case 2 Stakeholder Engagement Meeting

Following the field visit, partners engaged in the Demo Case 2 Stakeholder Engagement Meeting, bringing together local stakeholders to discuss the advantages and potential challenges of MAR with alternative water resources (AWR).

The key objectives included:

• Establishing a Community of Practice (CoP) at the Comporta demo site.
• Identifying benefits and risks from stakeholder perspectives.
• Recognizing barriers to MAR implementation and co-creating strategies to overcome them.
• Gathering feedback on MARCLAIMED tools for further refinement.

Following this productive General Assembly, the MARCLAIMED team will analyze findings from the first workshop and strengthen ties with the Community of Practice. Partners will continue engaging with stakeholders and demo site leaders to refine MAR strategies.