The internal basins of Catalonia are currently in a critical situation, on the one hand, due to a drought episode without historical precedents (both in terms of duration and intensity), and on the other hand, due to the lack of investment in the cycle. of water during the last decade, which has meant that key infrastructures for the contribution of new water resources are still in the drawer, despite being in planning already in 2009. To this we must add the lack of actions and support to the different productive sectors to be more efficient. The interconnection of the networks of the Tarragona Water Consortium (CAT) and Aigües Ter-Llobregat (ATL) is a key action, according to the Chamber.
This is extracted from the study 'From drought to water transition 2040' prepared by the Office of Economic Studies and Infrastructure of the Chamber of Commerce of Barcelona and presented within the framework of the Progress and Wellbeing Indicators (IPB). The analysis puts the economic impact of the drought on the territory in context and includes the most urgent actions to address in the short term, as well as the projects to accelerate and execute in the long term to achieve a new water model in Catalonia in 2040.
Although the investment made in the water cycle in Catalonia by the Generalitat increased with the 2007-2008 drought, it was reduced to a minimum throughout the following decade. This was due to strong budgetary restrictions by the Catalan Administration; but also to the rainfall that put an end to the 2007-2008 drought, forgetting a problem that, despite being associated with a specific phenomenon (drought episodes) is, in fact, structural: the lack of guarantee for cope with these episodes. As a result, and given that a very important part of the Catalan production system is in the internal basins, more than 80% of the Catalan Gross Added Value (GVA) is now exposed to drought.
To face the current emergency due to drought due to the supply band, actions must be carried out that can be implemented within a maximum of one year. It should be remembered that as a result of this drought episode, the mix of water resources has changed significantly. To give an example, before the drought, desalinated water represented on average 5% of metropolitan Barcelona's water resources and the remaining 95% came from rivers and aquifers.
During the drought, in the same area, 25% of regenerated water and 33% of desalinated water have been reached, leaving less than half, 42%, of water from rivers and aquifers. This great change in the profile of our water resources has allowed us to extend the entry into emergency, but it will not be enough to face a prolongation of the current drought, which would lead to the depletion of the reserves of the Ter-Llobregat system in March 2025.
Considering this horizon, the actions currently underway to expand the Besòs water treatment plant and increase the contribution of the Baix Llobregat regenerator will represent an improvement, but additional actions will be necessary to complement the new necessary contribution.
The interconnection of the networks of the Tarragona Water Consortium (CAT) and Aigües Ter-Llobregat (ATL) would represent the most practical option, both for the feasibility of execution (within the available time frame), and for the contribution it would represent. facing the constitution of a true network system; understood, of course, as a specific resource for the provision of guarantee for emergency situations, with a multidirectional nature, and based on the surplus available with respect to the allocation of the concession of the mini-transfer from the Ebro to the CAT, of 4 m3/s .
On the other hand, at this same point in time it is essential to accelerate the processing of all those actions that will have to form the basis of new desalination and regeneration resources before the 2030 horizon, among which are: At this same point, it is essential to accelerate the processing of all those actions that will have to form the basis of new desalination and regeneration resources before the 2030 horizon, among which are the Tordera II and Foix desalination plants, and the new water treatment and regeneration plants. in the Besòs.
Catalonia, in the opinion of the Chamber of Commerce, faces the great challenge of building a new water model, which avoids continuing to rely on “traditional” resources (reservoirs) that will become increasingly scarce. The current drought has led us today to the most extreme scenarios that could be considered in the studies that served as the basis for current planning. This reality makes it necessary to execute, before 2030, the new resource of 6m3/s of complementary contribution identified by the ACA to cover the water deficit of the Ter-Llobregat System on the 2039 horizon.
All necessary actions within the areas of efficiency improvement, desalination and regeneration, identified in greater or lesser detail in the ACA planning, must be defined and executed with the highest priority, to be completed by 2030. Key in this sense will be the constitution of a new water reuse system in the area of the Besòs River, very similar to the one that has been operating for some time in the Llobregat. This is a relatively recent project, which was not fully defined in the planning of the ACA and which must be promoted decisively, given that it will contribute to the generation of a new source of highly valuable resources.
The investments planned by the ACA for the period 2022-2027, plus the updates of the investments of the Tordera-II and Foix desalination plants and the investments (still estimated) associated with the new system to be implemented in Besòs, would add up to a total investment of around 3,200 million euros, to be executed within the 2030 horizon.
On the other hand, these actions will have to be completed with other complementary planning and actions within the local jurisdiction, such as those included in the Strategic Plan for the Comprehensive Water Cycle of the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (PECIA-2050), with an investment additional of about 2,000 million euros; Its execution should be set as an objective within the 2040 horizon.
The great change in the water model in the area of resources must go in parallel with a change in the model on the demand side. In a general area and taking into account all consumption, it is necessary to generate positive regulation, which establishes mandatory nature and sanctions while allowing for aid/compensation for those who comply with it.
Domestic and commercial consumption must be encouraged to save water, with the definition and implementation of specific action plans, with the promotion of the implementation of technologies available on the market (saving systems in taps, pressure regulators, use of gray water, etc.). It is also essential to help the agricultural world, due to its weight in the total consumption of the system, to carry out a transformation of irrigation systems towards greater efficiency.
From the Chamber they want to make a particular call for the water transition in the field of industry. The key in this area lies in the reuse of water. The regeneration infrastructure foreseen in the current planning will allow the establishment of an excellent platform on this land. Technological evolutions are allowing innovative production processes to be designed, encouraging the replacement of conventional resources, whether from public or private sources, with regenerated water. Many sectors can benefit: textile (dyes and finishes), chemicals, fine chemicals (pharmaceutical), petroleum derivatives, paper, automotive, aggregates and construction materials, fertilizers, food industry...
In this sense, the Chamber values very positively the help lines that the Department of Business and Labor is currently promoting in the field of advice ("coupons" for contracting water audits) and the promotion of collaborative projects and R D and innovation; It will be essential that they be kept on the agenda continuously, as a permanent accompaniment to the transformation of companies. “We are facing a challenge, but also a great opportunity, for the country, to become a world reference in the field of water.”
