Finite Element Simulation of the Transient Exploitation of a Coastal Aquifer

The province of Algarve, in the South of Portugal, has in the last ten to fifteen years sufered a tremendous development. This development has two main components: agriculture and tourism. Both these activities demand water, and sometimes in large quantities, but water is not easy to get in the Algarve. As usually two sources of water are possible: surface water and groundwater. Due to topographic reasons, surface water will require the construction of dams and a large number of long cannais and mains, because in many instances it is required to import surface water, this means that this type of water supply sistem will take several years to become operational and has a high cost. The other alternative, groundwater, is rigth in the place of consumption, most of the times, and in few working days could be available to both irrigation and urban water supply.