Water from the Besòs River will reach household taps for the first time this coming fall. Until now, the local water treatment plant (ETAP Besòs) had limited itself to treating water resources extracted from wells and underground aquifers. However, the significant improvement in the quality of the river flow will allow water from the river itself to be integrated into the regular distribution system after receiving the appropriate treatment.
The measure will be implemented once water parameters have reached the levels necessary to ensure its safe incorporation into the purification process. This initiative represents a turning point in the use of the basin’s resources, which historically was associated with high levels of environmental degradation and is now preparing to diversify urban water sources.
Safety guarantees and new treatments
Technical officials assure that the river’s current condition is a far cry from the image of pollution from the past. To ensure complete safety for human consumption, the water collected from the Besòs will not only undergo the same purification procedures already applied to groundwater and water from the Rec Comtal, but will also include an additional reverse osmosis phase—a method identical to that used in seawater desalination.
Currently, the water treatment plant processes a volume of 300 liters per second. The technical plan calls for a phased increase in this capacity over the coming years:
- Summer: Current capacity will double to reach 600 liters per second, thanks to the contribution of two new wells located in Montcada and the flows from the Rec Comtal.
- Fall: The first 200 liters per second will be added directly from the Besòs River, raising the infrastructure’s maximum capacity to a total of 800 liters per second.
This first phase will serve as a pilot test within a long-term project. Aigües de Barcelona estimates that within ten years, the Besòs basin will have the necessary infrastructure to comprehensively treat, regenerate, and purify water, thereby reducing direct dependence on rainfall in the face of future water shortages.
The completion of work at the plant will also have positive repercussions for the river ecosystem. A portion of the reclaimed water from treated sources will be reserved for strictly environmental purposes, focused on increasing the river’s current ecological flow and recharging underground aquifers to offset groundwater extractions carried out in the area.