The Catalan Water Agency has put out for public consultation the project for the future water reclamation plant linked to the Riudecanyes reservoir, an infrastructure budgeted at 20.9 million euros and expected to be operational by June 2028.
The facility will supply up to 20,000 cubic meters per day, about five cubic hectometers per year, a volume similar to the current capacity of the reservoir. The project comes as doubts persist about how the reclaimed water will perform in crops such as hazelnut, due to its conductivity and salinity.
The plant will supply five cubic hectometers per year for irrigation in Camp de Tarragona
The new Water Reclamation Station will be located in the composting area of the current treatment plant. The action will increase the treatment capacity from the current 17,000 cubic meters per day and leaves open a future expansion up to 25,000 cubic meters per day.
The treated water will reach class AA quality, the category set by European regulations for agricultural use. Its main destination will be irrigation in Camp de Tarragona.
To bring this flow to the irrigators, the project foresees a 12.5-kilometer pipeline that will connect to the Botarell ponds. The route will also pass through the municipality of Riudoms.
The infrastructure will also incorporate 1,408 photovoltaic panels of 550 Wp. The advanced treatment system will combine coagulation, filtration with textile disc filters, and disinfection with ultraviolet light.
Paneque considers the work a key piece while tests on hazelnut continue
Sílvia Paneque, Minister of Territory, defended the priority of the action during its public presentation.
"The reclamation plant has been one of the priorities, as we consider it key for the agricultural future of the area" - Sílvia Paneque, Minister of Territory
In parallel, the Riudecanyes Reservoir Irrigators' Community, the Unió Nuts cooperative, and IRTA are conducting pilot tests to validate the use of this water in hazelnut cultivation. The objective is to check its behavior in light of existing doubts about conductivity and salinity.
Another piece of the system remains pending. The construction of storage ponds to hold water during months of lower consumption still depends on several reports and the Secretary of Rural Agenda.
If the planned schedule is met, the regeneration plant should come into service in June 2028 with a maximum production of 20,000 cubic meters per day.