São Pedro do Sul medical spa provides health services using hot natural groundwater superiorly classified as natural mineral water. The main source of supply of that medical spa, has been over time, the Traditional Spring, which in recent decades has been systematically controlled, and shows spectacular constancy in its chemical quality, if there are no outside contaminations. Within the context presented, the detailed physical-chemical quality of rainwater and surface runoff water was studied, in the proximity of the Traditional Spring, as there is a potential for them to infiltrate at depth and evolve into the natural mineral water aquifer system. Thus, in the present chapter, after presenting the physical-chemical quality of the natural mineral water from the Traditional Spring, as well as some elements of the literature on the physical-chemical quality of rainwater, the methodology of work is followed, and then the results obtained from the physical-chemical composition of rainwater and surface run-off water are presented and discussed, comparing them with the quality of the water from the Traditional Spring. Finally, the main conclusions are presented, and some recommendations are made on research into potential sources of pollution, which justify the poor quality of the rainwater studied.
The present work presents a case study, to evaluate the possibility that in an area of the territory of the interior of Portugal, there is potential for capturing special groundwater that allows its classification as natural mineral water for thermalism. In this sense, after an initial part, with the framing of the theme and the presentation of the work methodology, the geomorphological and geological elements are shown, giving more development to the hydrogeological aspects, highlighting the results of the monthly sequential hydrological balance, namely its annual surplus, crossing it with the groundwater sampling sites, and still, the existing aquifer systems and the characteristics of their waters are identified. As a main result, the conceptual geohydraulic model of the region is presented, to show that in the São Torcato zone, and particularly in the Qta do Plácido zone, there is the possibility of exploiting groundwater in an aquifer system of granitic rocks, from fissural type, which is supplied from relatively distant areas, in hydrographical basins other than São Torcato basin, provided relatively deep boreholes are to be drilled. Finally, the main conclusions are synthesized, pointing out the most favorable area to carry out groundwater abstraction with the potential to have stability and quality suitable for a medical spa. It should be noted that these elements are only previous studies, which should be considered as initial contributions, and that further work should be carried out in the future, including geophysical studies and mechanical drilling, flow tests, as well as, among others, isotopic studies in the waters of the region to assess the recharge areas and available reserves.
Thalassotherapy is a balneotherapy activity with a wellness and therapeutic character, using salty water captured at sea. That activity is very similar to thermalism, which uses natural mineral water (NMW) captured in aquifer systems. In Portugal, thermalism is a well-established activity, and for a medical spa to be in operation, there is a legal requirement to have two specific professionals: a medical doctor—Clinical Director—and a hydrogeologist—Technical Director (TD). The exploitation of the NMW is the responsibility of the TD, a professional with know-how in the field of hydrogeology. Thus, this chapter presents an introduction with some fundamental concepts about thermalism and thalassotherapy, generic aspects of those activities in Portugal, and their objectives. Methodological elements are presented, followed by the main results and interpretations, with the physic-chemical characteristics of Portuguese NMWs; of very salty special groundwaters, not licensed as NMW; and sea and ocean waters. Finally, the main conclusions and several considerations are presented, in the sense that the practice of exploiting salty groundwater, in the proximity of the sea, will be a new field for the activity of hydrogeological professionals, provided that they are classified as NMW, to use in the thermalism activity.
In Portugal there is a special market niche, which is the medical spa sector. These are supplied by special groundwater, being the sulphureous type water, the most frequent water in this activity. These waters essentially have a long geohydraulic circuit, associated to granite massifs, in confined to semi-confined aquifer systems of the fissural type, and natural discharge sites are often associated with structurally very complex areas, with faults sometimes of great thickness, that lead to sudden variations, from very fresh rock to clay. However, this situation is very favourable to unexpected collapses of the borehole under construction, with terrible problems to overcome, sometimes leading to involuntary deviations in the spatial position of the drilling in progress. On the other hand, because one of the current solutions is the use of cementations, associated with re-drilling, there is also the problem, of the difficulties of cement grouts in a common situation, not gaining strength, due to the chemical composition of sulphureous groundwater. It should be noted that these aquifer systems have the potential to provide natural hot water, when the boreholes reach great depths and can leverage geothermal uses, at the same time as uses in medical spas. Therefore, it is necessary to know these aquifer systems well, to lead to more efficient projects in the future. Therefore, in that sense, after presenting the typical chemical composition of the sulphureous groundwaters understudy, the experiences acquired in the drilling of some boreholes in Portugal, namely in the Carvalhal Medical Spa, Longroiva Medical Spa, Águas do Graben, Unhais da Serra Medical Spa, and the new mineral water of Granjal (Santa Comba Dão), are briefly presented. The comparison of the objectives defined at the beginning with the results obtained is generically presented, namely the depth of drilling, giving emphasis to the problems of collapse of the walls of the boreholes, cementing, additives, among others. At last, some final notes are presented in the sense that the drillings in this type of hydrogeological systems, in the future come to be increasingly efficient and reach greater depth, not only to acquire water with quality freer of interferences with fluids of superficial aquifers, but also, in the sense of reaching temperatures that make the use of geothermal energy viable.
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