In the week of 20th to 24th May 2019 the International Symposium on Managed Aquifer Recharge (ISMAR) took place in Madrid, Spain. Over 300 participants from 50 countries were present.The ISMAR this year included short courses and field trips to MAR sites around Madrid to showcase the success of MAR implementation in arid and water stressed conditions.
Big names in the MAR world were this year in the ISMAR10-Madrid: CSIRO, Berlin Wasser, SUEZ, ASRsystems, IAH, TRAGSA, INOWAS, KWR, TU Dresden, BGR and of course Acacia Water!
Our colleague Beatriz de La Loma Gonzalez presented the results from our pilots in North Holland as part of the Spaarwater project and Lukas Rolf the experiences learned in our pilots abroad, using the example of Lebanon. ISMAR was an excellent opportunity to discuss with the experts the greatest issues and obstacles that the MAR systems are facing and for the scientific community to share the latest findings and technological innovations with the wider public.
Accoriding to our colleage Beatriz Madrid was the perfect destination for water problem solvers from around the world during this ISMAR. Solutions were proposed to, for instance, the problems encountered when using waste water in MAR systems or how to make legislation flexible enough so that it can adapt timely to technological innovations. The question remains: how far we can bring the MAR systems in the world so that we are more resilient to the water challenges we will (and already are!) facing.
