Health concerns regarding microbial contamination on the one hand and brine disposal regulations on the other limits the application of both biological and physico-chemical techniques for nitrate removal from polluted inland groundwater. In the current work, a combined system consisting of ion exchange (IX) and advanced biophysical treatment of the recirculated regenerant was investigated to achieve a safe and reliable process for nitrate removal from groundwater with minimal brine discharge and chloride addition to the product water. Using a feed water composing 26 mg NO3-N/L, Cl- 243 mg/L and 16 mg SO42--S/L, optimal IX operation was found to be at a service cycle length of 380 bed volumes with 'full treatment' of the water source rather than a 'split treatment' option with shorter service cycle and final product water blending. 'Full treatment' resulted in nitrate concentrations meeting regulations while minimizing both Cl- addition to the treated water (1.11 meq Cl- added per meq NO3--N removed) and waste brine production (0.25% of the water volume treated). In the product water, the DOC was 0.5 mg/L lower than the feed (tap) water and before disinfection the bacterial count was 10-700 cfu/mL. Spent regenerant was first treated in a sequential batch denitrification bioreactor followed by ozonation for polishing. The SBR unit achieved complete nitrate removal in 8 h with nitrate removal rates of 2.6 +/- 0.4 g N/L-reactor/d and a low average ethanol to nitrate mass ratio of 1.68 +/- 0.18. An ozone dose of 3-5 mg/L brine allowed for efficient recycling of the denitrified regenerant by removing suspended solids by foam fractionation. In spite of the low brine blow-down, DOC in the recycled regenerant brine after more than a year of continuous operation was maintained at relatively low levels of 61.0 +/- 11.6 mg/L. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.