Drought in Catalonia
Drought in Catalonia has become a growing concern in recent years, impacting both the natural environment and people’s lives. The region has experienced periods of rainfall scarcity that have severely affected the availability of water for agricultural irrigation, urban supply, and the preservation of local ecosystems.
The severity of the situation has led public authorities to implement water conservation measures, consumption restrictions, and a call for awareness about the importance of sustainable management of a vital resource such as water. Drought in Catalonia serves as a tangible reminder of a world increasingly affected by climate change and the urgent need to adapt and preserve natural resources.
The drought plan, active since October 2020, establishes five phases based on the drought situation and water availability: normalcy, pre-alert, alert, exceptionality, and emergency. This classification is based on the state of the reservoirs that supply water. In the case of aquifers, municipalities shift from one scenario to another if there is a significant decrease or increase in their volume.
L’Estartit enters the alert phase
The Official Gazette of the Generalitat of Catalonia published this week the declaration of a state of alert due to hydrological drought in the 05 Aquifer Exploitation Unit of Baix Ter, which supplies the municipality of Torroella de Montgrí and L’Estartit. The municipality had remained in a state of normalcy since March, as the water level of the Baix Ter aquifer had not shown any significant decline. In recent weeks, the situation has worsened, and now it has been declared in the alert phase.
Water restrictions for urban uses in municipalities in the alert phase affect various aspects, such as the maximum water volume per inhabitant per day, water usage for pools, public and private irrigation, vehicle cleaning, street and urban furniture cleaning, ornamental fountains, farms, among others.
Water savings at the Club Nàutic Estartit
During the recent Technical Conferences of ACPET, a set of recommendations was defined to guide sports marinas towards significant improvement in water conservation and efficiency.
- As a general rule, the use of faucets will be prioritized over any other use.
- Daily water consumption will be monitored and recorded to detect any leaks or incidents in the internal supply network.
- Preventive maintenance actions will be increased, and the repair of any detected incidents must be immediate.
- Investments in improving the internal potable water supply network will be prioritized.
- Supply hoses to boats installed on service towers in the docks will be removed.
- The duration and frequency of boat washing will be minimized unless it is done with seawater or reclaimed water.
- If pressure regulators are available at entry points to the facilities or buildings, pressure will be regulated to the minimum necessary for the proper operation of equipment.
- Water conservation and responsible consumption will be promoted through specific awareness campaigns targeting users and internal and external staff.
- The watering of existing trees and shrubs will be limited to the minimum subsistence dose. Watering of non-adapted seasonal species will be discontinued. For summer plantings or new landscaping, drought-resistant plant species that do not require watering (such as tamarisks, pampas grass, rosemary, etc.) will be chosen.
- The governing bodies and professional teams of sports marinas will ensure that these sectoral recommendations are implemented.
The Estartit Nautical Club has demonstrated its commitment in this area by implementing some of the measures mentioned earlier. As time goes on, we will be attentive to any potential new restrictions that the Club may adopt in this direction.
