A pilot project currently underway in Bulebel is looking into topping up water aquifers with highly treated sewage effluent.
The pilot, which is led by the Malta Resource Authority and forms part of the European MEDIWAT project, will conclude in 2013.
It involves the construction of a pilot treatment plant, which has already been developed, followed by tests on the freshly treated "highly polished" sewage effluent. Once the effluent has passed a series of tests, it will be pumped into a nearby aquifer. Wells within a 600m radius of the aquifer will then be monitored for a 12-month period, bringing the pilot study to a close.
MRA hydrogeology project officer Manuel Sapiano said that the project was already underway. "We are now in the process of testing effluent that has been polished by this pilot plant. Tests have revealed minute quantities of some synthetic chemicals".
As a result, the treatment method is now being adjusted, in order to filter out these chemicals.
Mr Sapiano was speaking at a MEDIWAT stakeholders conference in Marfa. MEDITWAT is an EU-funded programme which aims at researching and developing innovative sustainable water management systems for Mediterranean countries. The project, which began in 2007, involves 9 EU member states and 4 EU candidate states and has a budget of €193 million.
"Malta's dependence on groundwater is unsustainable," Mr Sapiano said. Besides issues of over-extraction, Malta's groundwater is facing issues of nitrate pollution and seawater invasion.
If the pilot project is successful, it could eventually lead to a much more water-efficient use of Malta's treated sewage effluent, Mr Sapiano noted. Malta is the first Mediterranean country to treat all its sewage effluent, although use of this effluent has been limited so far.
In his address Mr Sapiano said that the average Maltese persons uses 115 litres of water per day, which is below the average of several European states such as the Scandinavian countries, the UK, Germany and Austria. The Maltese use less than a third of the volume of water used by the average American.
A third of Maltese consumption is used for flushing and hygiene. 15% is used for washing. Drinking and cooking take five per cent.