Faced with increasingly intense, frequent and long periods of drought, one of the most effective measures in large metropolises like Barcelona is water regeneration. The Baix Llobregat eco-factory, managed by Barcelona Treblesbelonging to Agbar (Veolia group), sends 1,500 liters per second of regenerated water into the Llobregat river to be reused as water before its purification. This water is collected downstream, in the Sant Joan Despí drinking water treatment plant, to make it drinkable and send it to the distribution network and thus circularly complete the water cycle. Thanks to this process, it has been possible that regenerated water now represents 25 percent of the water resources used for the water supply of the metropolitan area of Barcelona.
Given the success of the initiative and in order to have new resources to address the structural water emergency in the autonomous community, Agbar is committed to replicating the initiative Llobregat model in the Besòs basinthrough the Next Generation European funding program. In this way, with this solution agreed with the administration, the water resilience of 5 million people who live in the metropolitan area of Barcelona would be guaranteed.
After additional treatment, the regenerated water from the ecofactory is also used to maintain the ecological flow of the Llobregat River; for agricultural uses, such as irrigation of Baix Llobregat Agrarian Park; for urban uses, with the sending of tankers of regenerated water to several municipalities in Baix Llobregat to clean the streets or water municipal gardens and parks; and is injected into wells in the region to act as a barrier against saline intrusion and improve the water quality of the aquifer. Furthermore, in the near future it is expected that it will be used for industrial purposes, especially for factories in the Zona Franca and Pratense industrial zones, as well as for urban and domestic purposes for the Marina del property. Prat Vermell.
This reuse of a scarce resource like water in our country allows us to reduce dependence on rain, as well as reduce water withdrawal from rivers and aquifers. Last year, Aigües de Barcelona regenerated almost 58 cubic hectometers of treated wastewater, a figure equivalent to the annual consumption of one and a half million people.
Agbar sources emphasize that faced with the challenges of climate change which increasingly impact our country, characterized by periods of prolonged droughts and torrential rains, it is necessary to adopt responsible and resilient management of natural resources. water resources. Concretely, to respond to the growing water shortage, which affects many territories and particularly in Catalonia, the promotion of circular models is essential. Indeed, most of the water sources we use are highly dependent on weather conditions, that is, on the amount of rain, which in recent months has been abundant in precipitation, but not abundant in the upper reaches rivers. that the reservoirs have not returned to reassuring levels.
In this context, the Agbar group is transforming its traditional wastewater treatment plants into “ecofactories”, a global management model based on circular economy and digitalization. With eco-factories, the company aims to evolve water management from a linear design to a completely circular model, promoting the regeneration and reuse of water for new uses, the valorization of waste for new resources (for example, sewage sludge is transformed into fertilizer for agriculture), the production of renewable energy and the generation of a positive impact on the environment (preservation of biodiversity, etc.). It is also a way of contributing to the ecological transformation of cities towards “a more sustainable and resilient model of the eco-city concept”, assure the same sources.
Another example of using reclaimed water to contribute to sustainability occurred during the Sailing America’s Cup played until the end of October in Barcelona. More than 50 boats, including those of Emirates Team New Zealand, those of the youth and women’s competition as well as the organization’s fleet, used the regenerated water, supplied by Aigües de Barcelona, both for cleaning and for the maintenance of boats, which made it possible to do so. reduce virtually 100% of the water footprint linked to cleaning these tanks thanks to this circular solution.
In Spain, Agbar supplies water to 13.5 million people, in more than 1,100 municipalities, operating close to the territory. In the metropolitan area of Barcelona, more than 3 million people are supplied with drinking water, thanks to the local operator Aigües de Barcelona, part of Agbar. Through the innovationdigitalization and promotion of alliances, the company acts to improve the future of populations by sustainably managing water resources. To this end, it promotes the development of climate change mitigation and adaptation solutions, as well as reference projects based on the circular economy to advance ecological transformation.
Agbar is part of the Veolia group, world reference in transformation ecological with water, energy and waste solutions including the strategic plan for the period 2024-2027 GreenUp seeks to accelerate the implementation of innovative solutions that decontaminate, decarbonize and regenerate resources. In this context, Agbar represents a water knowledge hub, strengthening the group’s activity with comprehensive management services for the entire water cycle and environmental preservation.
