Rough translation of Henares report.
REPORT ON PERFORMANCE MEASURES FOR DROUGHT
In May the CEO of AMJASA gave a report on urgent measures to mitigate the effects of drought, following local and regional guidelines
First measure: expanding the flow of water supply.
In this case we had a water purchase agreement signed in August 2015 with the Community of Irrigators of Pedreguer to ensure flow of water to the Rompudetes regulatory tank. Of the five wells Xabia had in the municipality of Pedreguer, by early summer water could only be drawn from one of them: Ocaive I, because of the poor state of the water level. On August 2, Ocaive I no longer had extractable water and to date remains dry.
We have had difficulty obtaining sufficient supplies from the Pedreguer irrigators because their wells have also been affected by drought, and because we are the last to receive water in its distribution system (after agricultural irrigation and Pedreguer town). At the moment, we are negotiating new water intakes to enable us have reach supplies if available.
At the same time, we made an urgent a connection through the Community of irrigators of Miralbons de Gata who had other wells in Pedreguer. These have provided some emergency flow to Rompudetes so it was not completely dry. You need to remember the importance of keeping Rompudetes active for the optimal functioning of the whole system and especially for subscribers next to the entrance to Xabia from Gata. An example of the difficult situation in the wells within the region is the that the water is increasingly murky due to the depth and location of the extraction levels. This can be seen in the video on cleaning filters at the Iryda Station, an installation which is crucial to ensure full water potability. Nevertheless, the Xàbia water supply has always been within the parameters of potability of RD 140/2003 throughout the summer.
After the difficult experience this summer, next summer we must take more effective measures to ensure greater supplies, especially consider a study of enlargement of the IDAM (desalination plant)
(Ed's note: At the meeting on October 3rd, it was clarified that expansion of the plant would cost €8 million. A possible solution would be to add two more frames which would imply an upgrade to more modern equipment (inlcuding more powerful pump) and a 55% increase in yield)
Second measure: to continue the renovation of the network and leak detection.
Throughout 2016 up until today, there have been a total of 39 works to improve facilities and renovate the network involving an extension of 5,580 m. of replacement pipelines. In the last quarter, in midsummer, there were 19 emergency actions on the primary and secondary networks in order to ensure proper supply.
Third measure: zoning and regulation of pressure,
Following the recommendations in reports of studies contracted to improve water and energy yields made by Professors of Hydraulics of the Polytechnic University of Valencia, we have begun work dividing up the the extensive network (600 km) which supplies Xàbia .
We present here the different sectors with the average daily volume supply during the month of August, number of subscribers, average daily consumption per subscriber (local / business / home), extension of the network and territorial extension of the supply. These sectors are being readjusted as new sectoral flowmeters are being installed in the section we call RESTO to result in the designation of new sectors and subsectors.
In the area PINETS, located at the lowest level of the hydraulic system, including Port-Arenal-Muntanyars, the pressure has been reduced by half: from 7.8 to 3.5 bar. Reducing pressure in PINETS has led to a significant reduction in the number of faults (500% 21-4 failures) in that sector and the volume of water supplied (50% of 7000 m3 / day to 3,500 m3 / day). In a summer that has exceeded the best forecasts in tourist occupation, and in an area with many catering, nautical and tourist businesses and accommodations we have been able to reduce leaks and breakdowns by a significant percentage in addition to arriving at an average consumption of 315 liters per subscriber / day; which assuming three people per household equates to average daily consumption per person of 105 liters, which places the standards of this sector as similar to towns with a high water efficiency. We can not say the same of all the other sectors,
Especially in the subsectors of Tosalet, Cuesta San Antonio, La Corona and the Montgo-Valls sector, where housing water ratios are above 3,000 liters / house / day; circumstances which can not be justified, neither as a result of an extensive urban model that requires large amounts of water for watering gardens and filling swimming pools, nor by the extension of a poor quality, old, supply network which has excessive and regrettable percentage of leaks.
(Ed's Note: At Oct 3rd meeting, there was discussion over whether people should be penalised for excessive use of water. Most agreed. Some said the water from the sewerage plant should be recycled. Another said AMJASA should fix all the leaks rather than penalise users and invest in new technologies to improve supplies. A possibility of an industrial tariff was also put forward)
Fourth measure: inspection and control.
This summer the inspection and control has focused on the areas of Montgó, Tosalet, Cuesta San Antonio and Corona for obvious reasons. i.e. high ratio of consumption per household.
Measures have included:
- Control of high consumption preventing and warning of possible internal leakage in homes, especially in the gardens
- Control of fraud, which has resulted in the initiation of sixteen disciplinary proceedings, most of them in the areas mentioned.
Fifth measure: information and awareness.
As previously carried out last summer, a communication campaign was prepared (social networks, radio, press, brochures) to educate and inform all citizens of the need to save water and make rational use of this much needed and scarce natural resource. The campaign is intended to achieve a possible and reasonable savings of 10% in the daily consumption of each person and solve the problem of demand spikes above the municipal supply capacity.
During the second half of August through social networking website and communications with neighborhood associations a commuication on the need to avoid watering gardens and filling swimming pools was launched.
We continue with the work of student education through the organization of information talks and preparation of educational awareness programs about the rational use of water.
Xabia, September 30, 2016
Josep Lluis Henarejos Cardona Manager Amjasa
