Thermal Mineral Waters

This course focuses on natural mineral waters and thermal waters, whose unique properties and characteristics make them special resources in terms of the exploitation, management, and protection of their deposits. Students will thus be trained in the specific technical and regulatory/health aspects governing the exploitation of these resources, particularly through presentations by industry professionals and a visit to an exploitation site. They will also gain an understanding of the management and protection of this type of aquifer so that they can propose field study protocols to characterize and protect these resources, thereby acquiring hydrogeological expertise specific to this type of aquifer.

The objective of this course unit is to provide students with additional, specialized knowledge about mineral and thermal waters in order to train them in the management and protection of these resources. Upon completion of this course, they will be able to:

- Recognize and identify the specific characteristics of natural mineral and/or thermal waters (origin, properties, water management and protection),

- Understand and comply with the regulatory and health requirements for operating and managing these resources,

- Master the concepts and tools needed to explain the origin of water flows and their residence time based on geological, hydrodynamic, and hydrogeochemical/isotopic information

- Propose methodological protocols to be implemented to characterize the hydrogeological behavior of the deposit and the potential implications for the protection and management of the associated resource.

Natural Tracing - Natural Flow Tracing and Aquifer Vulnerability

100% comprehensive continuous assessment incorporating a multiple-choice questionnaire and a report aimed at proposing a detailed methodological protocol for characterizing the hydrogeological behavior of a thermal system