The Consell Comarcal del Baix Empordà has unanimously approved a motion to request a technical audit of the 13 wastewater treatment plants in the region. The request is addressed to the Agència Catalana de l'Aigua and the Consorci d'Aigües de la Costa Brava, to whom it also demands a calendar of actions to improve water regeneration and use.
The initiative comes with the focus placed on the Vall-llobrega wastewater treatment plant, out of service since late January due to the damage caused by storm Harry. The episode caused the overflowing of the riera d'Aubí and the flooding of the facilities.
The Vall-llobrega treatment plant will remain affected for months
The repair of the Vall-llobrega WWTP is not expected to be finished until the end of summer. Meanwhile, the plant can only perform basic solids removal treatments and a minimum biological control before discharging the water into the sea.
The situation forces the municipalities of Palamós i Sant Joan, Palafrugell, Calonge i Sant Antoni and Mont ras to carry out specific controls on the quality of the seawater in the bathing areas.
The Vall-llobrega facility serves a design population of 166,000 people and covers the areas of Vall-llobrega, Palamós and Sant Joan, Calonge and Sant Antoni, Mont ras, Palafrugell, Calella, Tamariu and Llafranc.
Request for structural changes
The motion approved by the regional council also proposes studying a new location for this wastewater treatment plant. The argument is twofold. It is a 1985 facility that needs expansion and, furthermore, is located in a floodable area.
The request for technical review affects the entire regional network. In Baix Empordà there are 13 treatment plants. Those of L Escala, la Bisbal, Parlavà, la Pera, Forallac, Rupià, Serra de Daró and Ullastret are managed by the ACA. Those of Castell d'Aro, Platja d'Aro i S'Agaró, Vall-llobrega, Pals, Begur and Torroella de Montgrí depend on the Consorci d'Aigües de la Costa Brava.
The debate on water regeneration
The regional agreement also emphasizes the performance of treated water. According to 2023 Generalitat data, only 10% of the treated flow is regenerated in a tertiary manner, while 30% is mixed with river water and 60% ends up discharged into the sea.
With this scenario, the Consell Comarcal demands a global review of the infrastructures and a concrete roadmap to increase water reuse in a region especially exposed to the pressure on water resources and to the impact that any incident can have on the coastal strip.