An impulse for the thalassotherapy activity in Portugal to be framed in activities of the medical spa type - A proposal for Cabo Espichel (Portugal).

The activity of thermalism in Portugal is millenary. Thermalism is an activity that uses natural mineral water in treatments for therapeutic benefit under medical supervision, in a Medical Spa. The exploitation of the natural mineral water, available in the Medical Spa, is the responsibility of a Technical Director, professional with know-how in the field of hydrogeology, who provides natural mineral water from the aquifer system, at the abstraction head, in order be stored, distributed, and used in the various consumption points. Thalassotherapy, the use of salt water from seas or saltwater lakes, is already used in Portugal, either traditionally in loco or in some spas and other units, with activities or practices similar to those of thermalism. In some cases, it is already guided by a medical hydrologist, however, this activity is not yet legally framed in the same situation as thermalism. In the present work it is proposed that thalassotherapy can and should be supplied by salt water captured from an aquifer system, in full saline wedge, in order to be integrated with the proper rules of exploitation of the hydrogeological domain. Only in this way, the natural saltwater resource will have the potential to be obtained with adequate stability in its quality and thus, be able to fit into the legislative program similar to that of natural mineral waters. In this context, this paper presents some elements of an academic case study, carried out in Cabo Espichel (Sesimbra), where, it is proposed a project of a mixed spa, with a component of classic thermalism, to be supplied by water natural mineral to be captured and legalized, and with a thalassotherapy component, based on a capture of natural salt water to be captured in a free aquifer on a beach area. Finally, some detailed elements of a groundwater abstraction, with natural saltwater, idealized in a way that does not affect the environment, that is, without any negative environmental impact, are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]