For many decades there has been a general consensus on the need for considering surface and groundwater jointly in order to achieve the more general paradigm of an integrated water resources management. Nevertheless, in practice, in many countries, this goal is far from being achieved; the Spanish case will be presented. Spain is probably the most arid country in the European Union (EU). Therefore, the use of groundwater for urban water supply and irrigation should be relevant. However, aside from some continental and island areas, Spain uses the least average percentage of groundwater for urban water supply in the EU, except for Norway. The use of groundwater for irrigation has increased significantly in the last decades but fifty years ago was almost negligible in many areas, where it is now dominant. This situation is related to the “hydroschizophrenia” of many Spanish water planners. This word was suggested in 1972 by an American expert to describe the mind-set of those planners who undependably consider surface and groundwater, generally paying little attention to groundwater. The hydroschizophrenia was rooted in Spain due to a series of historical circumstances, framed at the end of the 19th century in government’ water policy. This mind-set of the governmental water planners had an influence in the 1985 water code, and also in the transposition to Spain of the EU 2000 Water Framework Directive. Although some improvements have been made, general groundwater management is still chaotic in some aspects. In this paper some significant aspects of groundwater policy are considered, such as its mitigation role of climate variability and change, water mining of aquifers, associations of groundwater users, and groundwater ecosystems.

Departament d'Enginyeria Civil i Ambiental, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, España

International Hydrogeological Congress (10º. 2014. Tesalónica, Grecia). - Ponencia

Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, España

Instituto Geológico y Minero de España, España

Peer reviewed