UTILIZATION OF THE FREEWAT PLATFORM - FREE OPEN-SOURCE TOOL FOR GROUNDWATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, WITHIN PILOT AREA BANAT PLAIN

FREEWAT Platform is a free open-source tool for water resource management created within the frame of HORIZON 2020 project FREE and open source software tools for WATer resource management, financed by the EU Commission. The project’s Consortium is constituted by partners from various water sectors from 10 EU countries, plus Turkey and Ukraine and large stakeholders’ involvement is thought to guarantee results in its dissemination and exploitation. The FREEWAT platform is an integrated modelling environment for the simulation of water quantity and quality in surface and groundwater, with an integrated water management and planning module. The core of the platform is represented by a SID&GRID framework, a GIS integrated physically-based distributed numerical hydrological model based on a modified version of MODFLOW 2005 and transposed to the QGIS desktop. One of the specific objective of the project is to support the FREEWAT platform utilization in an innovative participatory approach gathering technical staff and relevant stakeholders (policy and decision makers) in designing scenarios for the proper application of water policies. Through creating a common environment among water research/professionals, policy makers and implementers, FREEWAT project main impact will be on enhancing science- and participatory approach and evidence-based decision making in water resource management, hence producing relevant and appropriate outcomes for policy implementation. The article present utilization of the FREEWAT platform to create a model for a Romanian pilot area – Banat Plain – and how the model can be used in order to improve the water resource management activities for the local water authorities and other local stakeholders. There will be presented the data used to develop the hydrogeologic conceptual model of the study area, the FREEWAT platform’s modules used to create, and running and calibrate the model, the model results – quantitative status assessment and the scenarios simulated for improvement of the water management