The Catalan government has decided to lift the emergency phase due to drought in the Ter Llobregat system, which supplies nearly six million people in the metropolitan area of Barcelona and part of Girona, and make restrictions on water use more flexible, thanks to the latest rains. “The increase in reserves allows us to modify the restrictions of the last three months downwards, exit the emergency and lift part of the restrictions, although the drought has not ended,” announced the Government spokesperson, Patrícia Plaja, who has appeared together with the Minister of Climate Action, David Mascort, after the Interdepartmental Drought Commission of the Catalan executive.
When the emergency situation is lifted, the exceptional phase is entered, which involves a relaxation of measures on water use. Thus, water supplies for municipalities will be increased again and the restrictions that applied to various economic activities will be reduced.
And the controversial issue of swimming pools may be resolved with good news. Public and private swimming pools can be filled if they were full (although they cannot be filled if they were empty), and it will no longer be necessary to justify their opening due to the fact that they are considered climate refuges by the town councils.
However, the citizen platform Aigua és Vida considered that this is a measure “with an eye on the short term” and that “it may endanger the availability of water in autumn.”
The interdepartmental drought commission agreed this Tuesday to return to the exceptional scenario in the Ter-Llobregat area, following the recovery of reserves due to the rains of recent weeks. Currently the level of reserves in the reservoirs in this area stands at 24.8%, with 154 hm3. A determining factor is the increasing trend as a result of the rains and thaw. It should be remembered that in March the level of reserves in the Ter-Llobregat area was 15%.
The forecast is that, due to the recent rains and the thaw, the swamps of this system will continue to increase until reaching 160 hm3 at the end of this week, according to the councilor.
Councilor David Mascort explained that “this measure will benefit 6 million people in 202 municipalities in 14 regions of the country.” “It is a phase that allows us to save time and have more room for maneuver to continue saving water without applying the most restrictive measures,” said Mascort.
The forecast is that the measure will be effective next Monday, once it is published in the Official Gazette of the Generalitat of Catalonia.
Asked if the Catalan elections this coming Sunday have influenced the decision, Mascort explained that the data already justifies moving to the exceptional situation and that this means “one less week of restrictions for farmers”: “I wish we could have done it.” do 15 days or 3 weeks ago,” he stated. “The question offends me. If anyone thinks I'm doing it because elections are coming, they don't know me. We have a drought plan and it tells us what to do at all times. We have always said that the first day we could we would lift the emergency because it affects the economy. “Tourism suffers from drought less than farmers or the ecological flow,” he said.
The councilor has expressed that this decision ensures agricultural activity, protects the environment and prevents the drought from having a direct impact on jobs that depend on industry and other economic activities.
Mascort argued that “we are in the same situation as last summer, but much better prepared as a country.” In May 2023, 65% of the water consumed by the Barcelona area came from reservoirs, while now it represents only 50%, he declared.
This year, the availability of non-conventional resources has increased thanks to emergency works and above all thanks to the full operation of the desalination plants and the regeneration of water.
In parallel, general consumption this quarter has fallen on average by 10% compared to the previous period, according to the councillor, who has called on citizens to maintain this effort despite the improvement in the situation.
He also recalled that with the entry back into exceptionality, the minimum environmental flows are once again recovered, to better promote the biodiversity of rivers and bodies of water.
The councilor indicated that with the available data the Ter Llobregat system can remain in the exceptional situation at least until the end of this year, considering a scenario of “historical minimum rainfall” during this period.
If, on the other hand, in autumn the rains are more generous than usual, as has happened so far in the spring, the exceptional phase could be prolonged even further.
He therefore ruled out entering into emergency again before the beginning of next year.
At the same time, the plan is maintained to launch the floating desalination plant in the port of Barcelona, which will provide 14 hm3 per year to the metropolitan area of Barcelona.
Thus, he explained that the procedures will continue to install 12 desalination plants on the Costa Brava and also locate a floating desalination plant in the Port of Barcelona. The forecast is that eight of the first will be commissioned in June and the rest in autumn.
For its part, the floating facility is expected to be ready in October and would come into operation if necessary. The councilor defended that this desalination plant is still necessary because it cannot be ruled out that it will continue to be necessary in the future, if the situation worsens again.
Likewise, it is hoped that during the autumn a new opportunity could open for the arrival of rains that would help maintain the exceptional situation.
The exceptional situation will allow us to recover a greater supply of water per inhabitant per day for all uses (230 liters, while in the emergency situation it was 200 liters). Likewise, savings measures are maintained but more flexible.
The reduction in the amount of agricultural irrigation will be 40% unless it is replaced by regenerated water (in an emergency the cut was 80%).
The reduction in water consumption for industrial users will be 15% (in emergency it was 25%).
The reduction of water consumption in recreational uses will continue (15% in uses similar to urban and 50% in irrigation).
For livestock, this cut will be 30% (in emergency it was 50%), although there is the possibility of making these reductions more flexible by presenting a water saving plan to the Water Agency.
The use of water to irrigate gardens and green areas of a public or private nature is prohibited (except for the survival irrigation of trees or plants, which will be done drop by drop or in a watering can). Municipal irrigation with groundwater is permitted only in the event that it does not entail a reduction in the availability of water for domestic supply.
Irrigation of grass is prohibited in all cases, except on surfaces intended for federated sports practice, or irrigation that is done by reusing rainwater collected from roofs or regenerated water from treatment plants.
Cleaning streets, sewers, pavements, facades or buildings with drinking water is prohibited.
On the other hand, in an exceptional situation, the filling of private pools for individual or single-family use is not permitted under any circumstances. Pools that do not have water recirculation systems cannot be filled or refilled either.
Only partial filling or first filling is permitted (in this case, as long as they are newly built or have undergone rehabilitation or modification works on the pool) of swimming pools for public and private use that have a water recirculation system. and in the quantities essential to guarantee the sanitary quality of the water.
All of this includes municipal swimming pools or other public access swimming pools such as those in tourist establishments, sports centers, leisure centers or similar, residence halls or similar, as well as swimming pools for private use in communities of owners, agrotourism or similar. Also therapeutic use pools located in hospitals and special education centers.
The filling and refilling of swimming pools for private use that are intended for the bathing of people who have an evaluation of the degree of disability showing that they suffer from behavioral alterations is also permitted.
In educational centers, the complete or partial filling of removable pools with a capacity of less than 500 liters is allowed for children's bathing.
Other measures in an exceptional situation are that the cleaning of vehicles can only be done in authorized establishments or the prohibition of the total or partial filling of ornamental fountains, artificial lakes and other elements of aesthetic use of water, among others.
