Aquimed

The 700 km²  studied area is  located along the southernmost part of the French Mediterranean coast, near to the Spanish border. The aquifers present in this area are intensively used for drinking water purposes, for tourism related activities along the coast and by agriculture for irrigating orchards and vegetables crops. Since the superficial aquifer was increasingly affected by diffuse pollution, deeper aquifers have been progressively more exploited, in particular by municipalities but also by large-scale vegetable producers. The resulting decline in the water tables, which has been observed over the last 20 to 30 years, is expected to continue as the population keeps growing and the farming sector progressively abandons ancient surface canal irrigation systems in favour of new drilled irrigation wells and boreholes. In response to these increasing pressures on groundwater, the local authorities and government agencies have actively supported the establishment of a participatory forum bringing together all major stakeholders to debate on actions to be implemented.