The Catalan institutions responsible for water management have begun preparations following the possible need to resort to the use of ships to transport water in a scenario where the drought worsens. The Barcelona region is going through a critical situation, since the Ter and Llobregat reservoirs are at 19% of their maximum capacity and the Catalan Water Agency is not ruling out declaring an emergency even before this level of reserves is below 16%, as determined by the Generalitat's special drought plan.
The administrations are activating this plan due to the possibility that the situation will continue to worsen
The transport of water by ship is one of the options on the table, and although it is not a measure intended to give an immediate response to the supply (there are many other previous measures), it is being one of the possibilities that appear on the horizon if the absence of precipitation continues in the internal basins of Catalonia. In the current phase, what is being done is planning the adaptation of the necessary infrastructure to connect the supply to the port of Barcelona "in case this measure needs to be applied in the future", according to sources familiar with these preparations. The finalization of the contract for the ships would be left for a later phase. Both the decision to hire the ships and the choice of the place of origin of these resources are the responsibility of the Catalan Water Agency.
The same sources point out that the water transport option would not be finalized before February.
In 2008 the Catalan Water Agency was forced to activate a plan to transport water in ships. At that time, two unloadings were carried out in the port of Barcelona. That's why several facilities were enabled to facilitate connection and downloading. These facilities are currently available, but they need adaptation. At that time, the water came from the Rhone, specifically from the Philippe Lamour canal, which provided drinking water, while the planned transport of water from the Carboneras desalination plant, in Almeria, never materialized. The rains of May 2018 made the continuation of that supply unnecessary.
The possibility of resorting to the transport of water in boats is guaranteed by the law of 19 May this year on urgent measures to deal with the drought situation. Both annex I and annex II already incorporated this possible measure and others that are now being implemented, such as the extension of the Besòs river underground water purification treatment, potabilization improvements (reverse osmosis) of the wells in Sant Feliu de Llobregat and enhancement of the drinking water systems in Sant Joan Despí. In several statements, the director of the Catalan Water Agency, Samuel Reyes, has publicly expressed that the option of transporting water in ships "is on the table".
Both the spokeswoman for the Government, Patrícia Plaja, and the director of the ACA, Samuel Reyes, warned yesterday that "in the next few days" the country will enter a "pre-emergency" phase, that is, a scenario between the phase of emergency exceptionality and emergency. The idea expressed by Reyes is to enter a "preparatory stage that could last between a month and a month and a half" before reaching the state of emergency. This will translate into more restrictions for various uses, although the director of the ACA wanted to emphasize that domestic consumption "is guaranteed".
Catalonia is facing the worst drought it has ever suffered since we have data, that is, since 1915. That is why, according to Plaja, "extraordinary measures must be taken" without waiting for the reservoirs to reach the limit of 16% (they are now at a 18.89%). Samuel Reyes stated that it is the "worst drought" for its duration - since 36 months -, for its intensity and for the area affected: the Barcelona region (supplied by the Ter and Llobregat reservoirs).
In the meantime, the Aigües de Barcelona company has been running pressure tests at various points of the supply network in the Barcelona area to check the condition of these pipes and assess the technical feasibility of generalizing this measure. This possibility appears as an ever closer solution due to the eventuality that entry into an emergency situation is decreed. The technical tests have made it possible to verify that a saving of 7.6% has been obtained in these areas. If, for example, an advanced phase of the emergency were to be reached, reducing the pressure would save 20%.
The tests have been carried out ("as a sampling") in 16 of the 180 subsectors in which the metropolitan supply network is divided, and have been authorized by the competent administration, the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona. The tests began in September and are now being completed, as explained by Josep Lluís Armenter, project manager of the operations department of Aigües de Barcelona. "These actions have served us above all to collect information and to check if what the mathematical model tells us is in line with reality and to be able to make the necessary modifications", points out Armenter. The tests have had "practically no impact" on the supply and there have been no complaints from users.
If this measure had to be applied, the pressure reduction would be applied primarily to municipalities that exceed the maximum allocation established by the Generalitat (a threshold located in the exceptional phase of 230 liters per person per day, but which would gradually decrease in case that it enters more advanced stages of emergency).
The intention is for the pressure reduction to be applied first at night. Aigües de Barcelona admits that, if there is a pressure reduction, "unfortunately the first to notice it will be the higher floors", while the lower floors will not notice it. For the company it will inevitably lead to less income, but Armenter stressed that "this is not what bothers us the most".
