The seepage wells technique is enabling a substantial portion of the region’s water to return to the ground, with estimates suggesting up to 80 percent of the local water supply could be recharged into the soil across several Seville streets. This effort is part of the LIFE Watercool project, a climate change adaptation initiative supported by the European Union and implemented in Seville.
Since 2019, Avenida de la Cruz Roja and the surrounding four streets have hosted improvements that modernize water supply and sanitation networks, upgrade street lighting, increase tree cover, and introduce urban elements and technology. The overarching aim is to lower street temperatures by as much as ten degrees in three designated zones, contributing to improved urban comfort and resilience.
Juan Luis López Martínez, a Civil Engineer with the Seville Metropolitan Water Supply and Sanitation Company (Emasesa), explained to Efe News that the water-recovery components consist of carefully installed leakage control elements that were integrated during the area’s improvement work in Red Cross street. The seepage wells form a core feature of this system.
These seepage wells are part of Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDs) designed to capture and manage a large share of rainfall more efficiently. In practice, rainwater infiltrates the soil, travels through media within the street, and is directed toward wells that feed the groundwater table at a shallow depth.
To support sidewalk renovations, permeable cobblestones are laid over a gravel layer, with joints designed to permit water to pass through. When it rains, water percolates through the cobblestone and is stored in the gravel layer, later conveyed via a drainpipe to infiltration wells about three and a half meters deep for storage, gradually seeping back into the soil.
As a result, most rainfall does not flow directly into conventional plumbing pipes but returns to the ground, increasing ground permeability across the street and recharging the aquifer rather than contributing to surface runoff or impermeable surfaces.
Emasesa’s engineers note that urban street design often leads to rainwater being lost to the sanitary system and treated water facilities. The seepage wells project aims to change that trajectory by promoting underground recharge instead of letting rainfall vanish down drainage points.
Restoring the natural water cycle
The seepage wells initiative, part of the LIFE Watercool project, seeks to return rainfall to its natural course where soil remains permeable and capable of absorbing water. Before urbanization, rainfall would infiltrate the ground more readily; today, permeable surfaces and strategic infrastructure help approximate that natural state.
While the system helps reestablish the natural cycle in treated streets, it also represents a broader application strategy within LIFE Watercool, financed by the European Union. The project targets water efficiency, energy savings, and thermal comfort in specific public spaces, including a bus stop shelter and a nearby training center, with plans to extend to a central plaza area.
Implementation relies on the collaboration of the University of Seville’s Thermotechnics Department, in partnership with Emasesa, the Seville City Council, technology company Alten, and Efeverde from EfE agency, all aligned with the LIFE Watercool program.
Ongoing updates and results continue to illustrate how urban water infrastructure and permeable paving can jointly support groundwater recharge, urban cooling, and more resilient city environments.
—
Environment department contact information has been removed in accordance with guidance for this rewrite.