Sustainable water management in the European Islands

Abstract In the arid areas of the European Union there exist locations in which there is scarcity of water relative to the demand and the water demand has substantial temporal variations, rising during the summer many times over the annual average. Locales where such conditions exist are found primarily, but not exclusively, in the Mediterranean basin. Where water resources are limited relatives to demand, their sustainable management is the instrument through which economic growth can be attained, with due regard for protection of the environment. The proposed alternative to traditional water supply modes consists in desalinating brackish groundwater, instead of seawater, coupled with an effective strategy for controlling saltwater intrusion that enhances the hydrologic budget through reuse of wastewater. The economic viability of this approach is to be examined.