The Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB), the administration that organizes the water service in the 36 municipalities around Barcelona, has approved the plan to launch the operation to reduce the pressure of the water supply and respond to the restrictions that imposed by the Generalitat in the face of the imminent drought emergency. The intention is to begin the reduction of water pressure in the municipalities that are exceeding 200 liters per person and day for all uses, established in the provisions established by the Generalitat. “In these municipalities we will act now,” Martín Gullón, director of the AMB's water cycle area, has indicated in this newspaper.
The municipalities in the metropolitan area that exceed the endowment for the emergency phase are Cervelló, La Palma de Cervelló, Corbera de Llobregat, Sant Vicens dels Horts and Begues, according to November 2023 data.
In the case of Barcelona, where water consumption for all uses is 173 liters per person per day, the forecast is that this pressure reduction will have to be implemented in phase 3 of the emergency (when consumption could not exceed 160 liters), which could happen “in a few months, if it doesn't rain,” says the person responsible for the AMB water cycle.
The mayors of the metropolitan area are going to hold a meeting today where they will be informed of the prepared operation.
The management of the AMB has approved a decree called an operational contingency plan in a drought situation, which establishes how it will act in the event of an imminent emergency. The document will be validated by the plenary session of the Metropolitan Council on the 30th of this month.
“We are not going to cut off the water anywhere because if the supply is cut off, problems arise and it is easy for accidental breaks to occur,” says Gullón. The idea is to reduce the water pressure “little by little, to affect the minimum number of people and try to avoid problems,” adds this AMB executive, who promises coordination between city councils, the Metropolitan Area and water companies.
The plan organizes actions in 270 sectors and 133 pressure zones. “Naturally, those who will be most affected when the pressure is reduced will be those who live on the highest floors,” says Gullón. It has been planned to modulate both night and day pressure, "so that the impact is minimal." Under normal conditions, nighttime pressure is lower. And 73 critical supply points have been identified (hospitals, residences...) whose supply in perfect conditions must be especially preserved. “If someone lives next to a hospital, it is more difficult for them to have a problem with water,” says Gullón graphically, who specifies that the operation is intended to be as “tight and surgical as possible.” The decrease will occur based on the need to adjust to the provisions imposed by the Generalitat.
The metropolitan area as a whole consumes an average of 170 liters per person per day for all uses (173 in the case of Barcelona), according to data from November 2023, which is considered representative. These are quantities clearly lower than those required by the Drought Plan at level 1 of the emergency (200 liters per person and day for all uses); But these municipal provisions would progressively decrease if it continues without rain (180 liters in emergency level 2 and 160 in emergency level 3), which requires action.
However, five metropolitan municipalities exceed the bar of 200 liters and would be the first where these actions would be activated. "We will start with the municipalities that exceed 200 liters a day", says Gullón. According to the data provided by the Catalan Water Agency, this threshold is exceeded in Cervelló (282 liters per person and day for all uses), La Palma de Cervelló (278), Corbera de Llobregat (262), Sant Vicens dels Horts (235) and Begues (213), according to last November's data.
“We are not going to reduce the pressure without notifying the population in advance,” Guillón clarifies. The situation in the municipality of Barcelona is, however, much more favorable, since its consumption (173 liters for all uses) gives room to delay the pressure reduction for "a few months" if it does not rain. But if the level 3 emergency is reached, no more than 160 liters could be consumed and the belt would have to be tightened. This would occur when the Ter and Llobregat reservoirs dropped to 33 hm3. Now they are at 103 hm3, very close to the emergency entry (100 hm3).
Guillon relativizes the importance of an action segmented by municipalities. “The metropolitan area should be considered a whole, since municipal water networks do not distinguish between municipalities. The way they are exploited takes into account the pressure, regardless of the population in question.” The criteria taken into account to order the pressure serve to optimize energy consumption.
The Metropolitan Area of Barcelona has activated the regulations of the metropolitan service of the integral water cycle regarding violations in drought situations. Its implementation has been done through a decree, as a metropolitan ordinance, that specifies the uncivil actions that could give rise to fines for individuals in the face of the drought. This decree was approved last December and was communicated to the Metropolitan Council. In this way, conduct that contradicts the prohibitions established in the Generalitat's Spatial Drought Plan may be sanctioned.
“The procedure will be opened by each city council and it will be communicated to us, so that when it arrives we will impose the sanctions,” indicated Martín Gullón, director of the Water Cycle area of the AMB. Some town councils have already opened files but so far there have been no sanctions. “Now we will begin; We will receive the information and we will impose the sanction,” explains Guillón.
The decree recalls that it is prohibited to use water to irrigate gardens and green areas, as well as to clean streets, pavements, facades and others with drinking water, except if it is reclaimed water. Likewise, filling swimming pools is prohibited and there are strong limitations for vehicle cleaning.
The text will be updated based on the modifications to the Drought Plan approved on Tuesday by the Government of the Generalitat. The metropolitan regulation of the water cycle provides for sanctions of varying degrees, with minor infractions (up to 750 euros), serious (from 751 to 1,500 euros) and very serious (from 1,501 to 3,000 euros).
Cleaning cars is considered a minor infraction and a fine of 30 euros is imposed. Watering the garden of up to 250 m2 is also classified as a minor infraction and may be punishable by 50 euros. And filling the pool up to 72 m2 (with a volume less than 72 m3) can be a minor infraction and is subject to a fine of up to 200 euros. The grading of the penalty takes into account in each violation the irrigated surface, the extension and volume of the pool that is filled or the excess consumption. “In any case, the adaptation by the offender of immediate corrective measures for the infraction is considered mitigating,” say sources from the AMB.
