1) PERSIST closure meeting in Girona (April 2017)
A 3 days meeting was organized at ICRA (Girona, Catalonia – Spain) to discuss about the results of the study sites and lab experiments, to summarize the findings of the PERSIST project and to shape the joint publications and dissemination activities . A field trip to the Baix Fluvià – Empordà study site was also performed.

2) Mid-term Review Meeting of the Water JPI Pilot Call Projects in Vienna (November – December 2016)
The coordinator of the PERSIST project, Corinne Le Gal La Salle, and Aleksandra Kiecak, member of the PERSIST team participated to the Water JPI meeting in Vienna were the current progress of the projects was discussed. The meeting took place in Vienna (Austria) on the 30th November and 1st December 2016.

3) PERSIST project presented in a Spanish regional event about groundwater management
The workshop « Congreso hispano-luso sobre las aguas subterráneas en el segundo ciclo de planificación hidrológica » took place in Madrid (Spain) on 28th to 30th of November 2016. This event focused on regional groundwater management was organized by the Spanish chapter of the IAH. Quality issues were presented and debated and those related to EOCs pollution called most of the attention because of their novelty and their impact on water quality for human uses. (November 2016)

Mas-Pla J, Boy-Roura M, Menció A, Portell, L, Brusi D, Villagrasa M, Petrovic M, Gros M, Lekunberri I, Fillol M, Borrego C (2016). Interpretación de los resultados del estudio sobre la presencia y evolución de antibióticos en las aguas subterráneas del Baix Fluvià (Cuencas Internas) en el contexto de la planificación hidrológica.

4) Large representation of the PERSIST team at the 43rd congress of the International Association of Hydrogeologists “Groundwater and Society: 60 years of IAH” in Montpellier (France) (September 2016)
The PERSIST project was widely presented at the 43rd congress of the International Association of Hydrogeologists in Montpellier (France) on 25-29th September 2016. The study cases (Vistrenque and Baix Fluvià aquifers) and the batch and columns experiments were exposed in one oral and two poster presentations. Website of the conference: http://www.60iah2016.org/en/
Groundwater and Society: 60 years of IAH – 43rd IAH Congress. Montpellier (France).
Titles of the presentations:
Boy-Roura M., J. Mas-Pla, M. Petrovic, M. Gros, C.M. Borrego, I. Lekunberri, M. Fillol, A. Menció, D. Soler, D. Brusi (2016). Spatial and temporal evolution of antibiotics in the Baix Fluvià alluvial aquifer and its impact on groundwater resources quality. (Oral presentation)
Kiecak, A., L. Sassine, M. Boy Roura, J. Mas Pla, C. Le Gal La Salle, M. Elsner, C. Stumpp (2016). Estimation of sorption coefficients of selected pharmaceuticals in controlled laboratory experiments. (Poster presentation)
Sassine, L., C. Le Gal La Salle Corinne, P. Verdoux, S. Ressouche, B. Roig (2016). Spatial variability of EOCs in a shallow alluvial aquifer coupled to a geochemical approach. Case of the Vistrenque basin. (Poster presentation)

5) The PERSIST project invited to be presented at the headquarters of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) (July 2016)
The postdoctoral researcher Mercè Boy-Roura from Institut Català de Recerca de l’Aigua (ICRA) was invited to present her research on the occurrence of emerging organic contaminants in groundwater, framed in the PERSIST project, at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in Reston (Virginia, USA) on 7th of July 2016. The presentation was also available via webconference throughout USGS offices.

6) The PERSIST project at the international conference “Toward Sustainable Groundwater in Agriculture” in San Francisco (USA) (June 2016)
The PERSIST project and the study case of the Empordà region were presented at the conference “Toward Sustainable Groundwater in Agriculture – An international conference linking science and policy 2016” organized by the University of California. The conference was held in San Francisco, California (USA) on 28-30th June 2016. Website of the conference: http://ag-groundwater.org/
Titles of the presentations:
M. Boy-Roura, J. Mas-Pla, M. Petrovic, M. Villagrasa, C.M. Borrego, I. Lekunberri, M. Fillol, A. Menció, D. Brusi (2016). Exploring the origin and migration of antibiotics in aquifers to evaluate their impact on groundwater resources quality.
C. Le Gal La Salle, L. Sassine, J. Mas-Pla, M. Boy-Roura, C. Stumpp, A. Kiecak (2016). Fate and persistence of emerging contaminants and multi-resistant bacteria in a continuum of surface water – groundwater (the PERSIST project).

7) The PERSIST project is presented at the conference “Emerging pollutants in groundwater” (May 2016)
The study cases of the Vistrenque and of the Empordà were presented at the conference “Les polluants émergents: de nouveaux défis pour la gestion des eaux souterraines” organized by the BRGM and SHF. The conference was held in Orléans (France) on 19–20th of May 2016. Website of the conference: http://www.shf-hydro.org/186-1-the_emergent_pollutants_in_groundwater-16.html
Titles of the presentations:
J. Mas-Pla, M. Boy-Roura, M. Petrovic, M. Villagrasa, I. Lekunberri, C.M. Borrego, A. Menció, D. Brusi, R. Marcé (2016). Occurrence and fate of emerging contaminants (antibiotics) in a regional alluvial aquifer and their effect on multi-resistant bacteria (Baix Fluvià, Catalonia).
L. Sassine, C. Le Gal La Salle, S. Rigaud, P. Meffre, Z. Benfodda, J.P. Lavigne, P. Verdoux, S. Ressouche, R. Roig. Occurrence et devenir des contaminants émergents et des pathogènes résistants dans un continuum eau de surface/eau souterraine à une échelle locale : Cas de la nappe de la Vistrenque.

8) Batch and column experiments are running at the Helmholtz Zentrum München (April 2016)
The postdoctoral researchers of each partner institution, Aleksandra Kiecak (Helmholtz Zentrum), Lara Sassine (Université de Nîmes) and Mercè Boy-Roura (ICRA), collaborated to continue batch sorption experiments started in January and to set up new column experiments at the Institute of Groundwater Ecology – Helmholtz Zentrum in Munich (April 2016).

9) The PERSIST project is presented at the 25th Meeting of the German Association for Hydrogeology 2016 (April 2016)
The laboratory experiments were presented at the 25th Meeting of the German Association for Hydrogeology 2016. The conference was held in Karlsruhe (Germany) on 13-17th of April 2016. Website of the conference: https://www.bayceer.uni-bayreuth.de/fhdgg2016/index.php?lang=en
Title of the poster:
Kiecak, A., C. Stumpp (2016). Sorption and degradation rates of Emerging Organic Contaminants in well controlled laboratory experiment.

10) Postdoctoral researchers get together to perform batch experiments (January-February 2016)
The postdoctoral researchers of each partner institution, Aleksandra Kiecak (Helmholtz Zentrum), Lara Sassine (Université de Nîmes) and Mercè Boy-Roura (ICRA), worked together on batch sorption experiments under the supervision of Christine Stumpp, at the Institute of Groundwater Ecology – Helmholtz Zentrum in Munich (January-February 2016).

11) Mid-term meeting in Munich (October 2015)
The meeting was held at the Helmholtz Zentrum in Munich (Germany) from the 21st to the 23rd of October 2015. Group leaders (Corinne Le Gal La Salle, Josep Mas-Pla and Christine Stumpp) and postdoctoral researchers (Lara Sassine, Mercè Boy-Roura and Aleksandra Kiecak) of each partner’s institution were present. The meeting included partner’s presentations about the current work, discussion about next milestones and a visit to the Helmholtz Zentrum – Institute of Groundwater Ecology and labs. Contribution to meetings was also determined in order to present the goals and the preliminary results of the project to the scientific community before the first papers are written.

12) Monthly sampling campaign begins! (October 2015)
In October 2015, ICRA and Université de Nîmes researchers started the monthly sampling campaign in the Empordà region and the Vistrenque, respectively. Water samples from selected wells and surface water points will be taken on a monthly basis for hydrochemistry, isotope and EOCs analysis.

13) Postdoctoral researchers Mercè Boy-Roura (ICRA) and Aleksandra Kiecak (Helmholtz Zentrum) visit the Université de Nîmes (September 2015)
Last September 2015, the postdoctoral researchers Mercè Boy-Roura and Aleksandra Kiecak visited the Université de Nîmes as part of the postdoctoral mobility of the PERSIST. They visited the lab facilities of the institute, learned about water isotope analysis and did a field trip to the study area of the Vistrenque, led by Corinne Le Gal La Salle and Lara Sassine.

14) Postdoctoral researcher Aleksandra Kiecak (Helmholtz Zentrum) visits ICRA (September 2015)
Postdoctoral researcher Aleksandra Kiecak from the Helmholtz Zentrum visited in September the Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA) as part of the postdoctoral mobility of the PERSIST. She visited the lab facilities of the institute to learn the methodology used to analyse EOCs, and the study area of the Empordà basin, led by Josep Mas-Pla and Mercè Boy-Roura. She also met the ICRA researchers (analytical chemists and microbiologists) involved in the PERSIST project.

15) Field sampling campaign has started! (May 2015)
In May 2015, ICRA and Université de Nîmes researchers started the first field sampling campaign in the Empordà region and the Vistrenque, respectively. Water samples from wells and surface water are taken for hydrochemistry, isotope and EOCs analysis. Lab fellows involved in the project have conducted the analysis and the first results were really promising!

16) Postdoctoral researcher Lara Sassine (Université de Nîmes) visits ICRA (March 2015)
In March 2015, the postdoctoral researcher Lara Sassine visited the Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA) as part of the postdoctoral mobility of the PERSIST. She visited the lab facilities and learned about the methodology used at ICRA to analyse EOCs. She also visited the study area of the Empordà basin, led by Josep Mas-Pla and Mercè Boy-Roura.

17) The PERSIST project is launched! (October 2014)
The kick-off meeting of the PERSIST project was held at the Université de Nîmes (France) on 7th of October 2014. The meeting included a visit to the Vistrenque study site and a discussion about the milestones of the project.
PERSIST members attending the kick-off meeting of the Water JPI Pilot Call on Emerging Water Contaminants in Brussels (March 2015)
The kick-off meeting of the Water JPI Pilot Call on Emerging Water Contaminants – anthropogenic pathogens and pollutants took place in Brussels (Belgium) on the 11th of March 2015. The PERSIST project was presented by the project coordinator, Corinne Le Gal La Salle.