Sustainability in Managed Aquifer Recharge Projects: A Case Study of Three European Union Funded Projects

ABSTRACT Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) is presented as a water management approach that fits well within the broad sustainability agenda. Three European MAR projects' outcomes were analyzed to assess how these projects interpret sustainability. This article argues that MAR projects are pushed to a narrow interpretation of sustainability by funder requirements and the technical background of experts involved in MAR projects. This narrow interpretation is reinforced by the limited available resources for MAR projects. Pressing social and institutional issues are left unattended in these projects. This is likely to have implications for the long‐term operation and maintenance of these MAR projects.