The Catalan Water Agency has put out for public consultation the project to build a regenerated water plant at the Reus treatment plant, an action budgeted at 20.9 million euros and with an expected start-up in 2028.
The action comes while there is available volume for regeneration and the challenge remains in bringing that water to the fields. The treatment plant currently treats 17,000 cubic meters per day, equivalent to 6.2 cubic hectometers per year, and keeps five cubic hectometers per year free, but the pipeline to the Riudecanyes Reservoir ponds depends on another infrastructure being processed by the Department of Agriculture.
The plant will increase treatment from 17,000 to 20,000 cubic meters per day
The new facility will be located in the composting area of the Reus treatment plant itself. The project plans to increase the treatment capacity to 20,000 cubic meters per day, with the possibility of expanding it later to 25,000.
The regeneration system will combine coagulation, textile disc filters, and ultraviolet disinfection. In addition, it will incorporate 1,408 photovoltaic panels of 550 Wp to power the facility.
With the current capacity, the treatment plant can already treat 17,000 cubic meters per day. This flow is equivalent to 6.2 cubic hectometers per year and leaves a margin of five cubic hectometers per year available for regeneration.
The pipeline will run for 12.5 kilometers to the Riudecanyes ponds
The project includes a 12.5-kilometer pipeline that will transport the regenerated water to the storage ponds of the Riudecanyes Reservoir Users' Community. The route will skirt the south of the Aigüesverds golf course and pass through the municipalities of Riudoms and Botarell.
However, the transport infrastructure does not depend on the Catalan Water Agency. That part corresponds to the Department of Agriculture, which is currently processing the environmental impact reports.
The improvement of irrigation systems linked to this infrastructure is included in the Hazelnut Plan 2026-2028, approved by the Government in March. The objective is to reinforce the supply for irrigation in the Camp de Tarragona.
A pilot project tests regenerated water on hazelnut trees in Camp de Tarragona
In parallel, the Comunitat de Regants del Pantà de Riudecanyes, Unió Nuts SCCL, and IRTA are executing a pilot project to validate the suitability of this water for irrigating hazelnut trees. The test responds to farmers' concerns about the conductivity index.
This trial should serve to check how the regenerated resource fits into one of the crops most linked to Camp de Tarragona. The official forecast for the new plant maintains the commissioning of the facility in 2028.