On the occasion of World Water Day, Mario Urrea, president of the Segura Hydrographic Confederation, talks to us about the public hydraulic field and the state of the Segura basin in Vega Baja. To promote the OHS management and to bring it closer to the citizens.
In addition, the organization that coincides with Open Management Week, He arranges a day when his powers are on. CHS, The latest hydrological information will be given, and the restoration works of rivers and coasts will be discussed.
Water is vital to life. What role does desalination play in maintaining resource stability in the basin?
Basically, desalination was established as the main supplementary resource to achieve this stability. In this sense, the volumes produced in the last hydrological year were 129 cubic hm from the ACUAMED plants (Águilas, Torrevieja and Valdelentisco), while the MCT desalination plants (Alicante I and II, San Pedro I and II) produced 57.4 cubic hm. gives an idea of the need for complementary resources in this basin in addition to the ATS (Tajo-Segura Aqueduct), as well as the need to gradually replace groundwater from overexploited aquifers with other renewable and sustainable sources.
Is desalination a bet for the future to preserve the basin’s reserves?
Yes it is. The bet for the future is water forever without any criteria or change. Therefore, CHS is fully involved in the deployment of different sources of Seawater Desalination Plants (IDAM) into the distribution network, i.e. post-transfer Tajo-Segura channels.
This action constitutes one of the highest-yielding projects, with the expansion of desalination plants managed by the state company ACUAMED and the construction of the photovoltaic energy parks connected to these plants to achieve an affordable price for users. budget amount, because the total investment is about 700 million euros and The Spanish Government will subsidize the rates a maximum of 10 years unless all these works are completed.
Does this future-oriented approach include purified water?
Of course, CHS It is obliged to seek new alternatives for different uses supported by our Hydraulic Public Space (DPH). In this sense, adequate treatment of urban wastewater is one of the main objectives of the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Democratic Struggle (MITECO).
As you know, the Segura basin has done its “homework” of purifying and reusing water, due to resource scarcity and the lack of our use system. Evidence of this is the national benchmark in the volume of water reused – around 144 cubic hm of the total 400 hm reused across Spain – in practice almost 95% and almost 95% of the treated water in the Region of Murcia is reused. reaches. Similar values in Alicante.
This commitment is reflected in investments aimed at “reducing temporal pollution” in the Segura Hydrological Plan for the period 2022-2027, with a budget of 592 million euros; this figure is €315M, almost double the 2015-21 plan.. This, together with the Generalitat Valenciana, is a testament to its commitment to move in this direction. It is also very involved in ensuring adequate treatment for all wastewater in the province of Alicante.
To run this management business, has it made any commitments to improve the digitization of its CHS units?
Certainly. Beyond the purely functional understanding of management, one of the first digitalization experiences is undoubtedly;It has become an essential tool for detecting accumulated precipitation and runoff spikes, providing better response time even in decision making. in flood emergencies.
A tool like this is an important step towards increasing responsiveness in the different scenarios that an organization like ours may have. This is because CHS has one of the most extensive and complete meter networks in southeast Spain, allowing it to know and manage how much rain is falling in each part of the catchment at that moment. streets that we come across often, with rolling infrastructures.
Moreover, We are making progress in the quality control of circulating water and our reservoirs, and of course in the control of irrigated uses, which are the biggest consumers of our basin.
CHS recently worked at the mouth of the Segura river in the municipality of Guardamar. What did these studies consist of?
These studies aim remove a small part of the deposits that have accumulated in the mouth over the years in this way to recover some of the hydraulic capacity. This measure will contribute to improving water drainage after flood events and reduce flood-related damage in adjacent areas. About, The activities will consist of the extraction of approximately 20,000 cubic meters of sediment and its storage in the Segura river groves, with an investment of approximately 300,000 euros.
Are there any other actions planned in the Vega Baja area?
Definitely. La Vega Baja in Alicante will receive 43% of the 840 million Euros envisaged in the investments of the Segura Flood Risk Management Plan (PGRI), which means an investment of 343 million Euros for the period 2022-2027. For work to reduce flooding in the area. Likewise, a range of environmentally sustainable nature-based solutions will be envisaged in this region, which is the Segura floodplain, with less vulnerability to flooding.
In parallel with the execution of the works, PGRI is also considering the preparation and drafting of studies, plans and projects totaling €80.3m in Vega Baja. These include the regional and provincial national highways permeabilization plan (N-332) or the dams and water storage areas project (Pilar de la Horadada-San Pedro del Pinatar), among others.
On the other hand, the remaining 107 million will be invested in the prevention of heavy rains and the preparation of measures on an annual basis. such as maintenance of canals, cleaning of boulevards or removal of deposits, among other actions.
In Pilar de la Horadada, you talked about the work carried out against flooding, which is the subject of discussion among residents and administrations. Where is this project?
Over the past 2022, we have maintained and disclosed the action plan in that area, both to municipalities to coordinate different actions and to affected neighbors to know the steps CHS is taking.. We explained to both of them the project of lamination at the head of the catchment basin with weirs that will reduce sediment transport, together with a controlled storage area (ZAC) in Phase I of the project. Likewise, we gave information about the project, which envisages the creation of a green corridor that will connect the ZAC with the area next to the highway and take the water from there to the Mediterranean (Phase II). The administrative process is ongoing and we expect to start work in 2023.
How do you balance your district delegation in Orihuela?
Very positive. The idea was to provide up close and personal attention, facilitating a more agile handling of files, issues, and suggestions.
The teams formed to serve the offices consist of technicians, managers and staff assigned to the Segura Hydrographic Confederation River Nursing Home and Environmental Representatives. These staff work to answer questions from citizens approaching different delegations.Thus, transfer to the head office is prevented. CHS Located in the city of Murcia, carry out their efforts.