OurMED M7.1 Water Storage and Distribution Systems in the Mediterranean: Current Status, Challenges, and Prospects. Version 1.3

Milestone 7.1 (M7.1) provides a comprehensive literature review of water storage and distribution systems in the Mediterranean, examining their status, key challenges, and future prospects. It analyses conventional and non-conventional approaches, with particular attention to groundwater, dams, desalination, and reuse, as well as governance, socioeconomic pressures, and climate impacts. The review highlights critical gaps such as overexploitation, aging infrastructure, poor data availability and fragmented policies, while identifying emerging solutions including nature-based approaches, smart technologies, and integrated management frameworks. This work lays the foundation for scaling ecological assessment and monitoring tools from demonstration sites to the basin level, ensuring that future strategies align with sustainability, resilience, and ecosystem conservation.