The reuse of regenerated water for irrigation of a golf course: Evolution geochemistry and probable affection to a volcanic aquifer (Canary Islands)

Abstract

Irrigation reuse of treated urban wastewater presents unquestionable advantages, but recently some possible unfavourable effects that need to be studied in the long term have been detected. The Bandama golf course, located at the NE of Gran Canaria, has been selected to develop an integrated study of the affection on a medium-long term, due to it has been irrigated with reused water for more than 30 years. The characterization of irrigation water, soil, soil lixiviate and aquifer functioning has allowed to obtain preliminary conclusions pointing to the importance of the soil nature, the precipitation, the irrigation management and the hydrogeologie conditions in the soil and aquifer response, In the study area, this is complicated for the existence of about 250 m thick unsaturated zone conformed by volcanic materials where water must flow through fractures, making impossible to be sampled.