Programs and Actions
Programs and activities/actions :
1. HYDROLOGIC CYCLE MANAGEMENT OPTIMIZATION:
-Municipal distribution, networks, optimization.
-Optimizing efficiency in harvesting facilities.
-Expansion and maintenance of telemetry and remote control of water resources and catchment infrastructure.
HYDROMETRIC NETWORK: It consists of 33 periodic Hydrologic Cycle’s checkpoints and 11 more from other networks.
AQUIFER CONTROL NETWORK: this network controls monthly water withdrawal of 70 aquifers points. There is also additional information referred to 1393 points.
WEATHER STATION NETWORK: The Area of Hydrologic Cycle (Area of Water) has its own weather station network consisting of 28 remote stations with continuous records of main parameters (precipitation, temperature, humidity) which data is stored along with the data from the INM (National Institute of Meteorology).
– Maintenance of Municipal Infrastructures Inventory, included in the Hydrological Information System.
– Development of municipal water cycle manuals, to provide municipalities with an informative and synthetic management tool.
2. PROGRAM FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF HYDRAULIC INFRAESTRUCTURE FOR WATER SUPPLY AND SANITATION
The Area of Hydrologic Cycle develops the following plans:
-Institutional framework for Sanitation and wastewater Treatment, which has enabled all localities with more than 500 inhabitants, and some with smaller populations, to have secondary wastewater treatment, well above the EU guidelines. It has also enabled to increase the available water resources in 100 hm3 / year in reuse concept.
-Building framework for municipal hydraulic water supply infrastructure and sanitation: Water treatment plants, standpipes, sanitation networks and supply and distribution lines are built.
3. WATER CATCHMENT SYSTEM PROGRAM
To ensure the municipal supply and quality required, it has been built, tested and equipped more than a hundred water deposits in the last 24 years, which has ensured the supply to 91 municipalities.
4. PROGRAM TO INCREASE THE PROVINCIAL WATER RESOURCES
The Area of Hydrologic Cycle develops studies and action proposals to make the most ofthe surface runoff. This is accomplished by building dykes and small reservoirs in permeable rock (so to increase the underground reservoirs natural recharge) or impermeable (to regulate the surface contributions). It also pays special attention to the investigation of coastal aquifers with brackish water to raise the use of desalination. In addition, in the few aquifers in which the contributions are not yet regulated, studies are being developed for its regulation and sustainable use.
5. STUDIES ON WATER RESOURCES (IN COLLABORATION WITH IGME)
The previous programs, and especially the catchment system program, would not be efficient without a thorough understanding of the supply aquifers. Several studies are being developed, in collaboration with IGME, that have placed the province of Alicante in an advantaged position with regard to the knowledge of water resources and its problems at a national level.
a) Hydrogeological Studies for Municipal Supply
The objective is to provide hydrogeological knowledge of those municipalities supplied with underground water to plan the possible works in the catchment system, advise the City Council and identify the origin of supply problems and look for the optimal solution to those supply issues.
b) Establishment of Protection Perimeters, Operating Standards and Technical Basis to form User Communities
This will define which activities are compatible with the resource conservation and therefore allowed, and which ones have to be limited or forbidden. It also establishes the recommended flow rates and operating regimens.
c) Determination of water reservoirs in aquifers
Determine according to the climatic cycle the possible guaranteed water supply and the resource exploitation strategies.
d) Aquifer and resource management:
The Area of Hydrologic Cycle carries out specific studies about the joint use of aquifers, their regulation, their artificial recharge, and about springs and aquifer simulation models. It also studies the hydraulic functioning of aquifers, their balance and management strategies according to the demands.
e) Maintenance of Hydrological and Hydrogeological Control Network:
Feeding water databases and developing hydrological information system aimed to know at all times the state and evolution of underground water and to manage land information and infrastructural information as well as their temporary variables.
PIEZOMETRIC NETWORK: There are more than one million measures in about 3600 points for the period from 1972 to 2005. Of those measuring points, 145 belong to the periodic manual control and 79 are automatic.
NETWORK INTRUSION QUALITY AND MARINA: Consisting of 200 regular checkpoints of water cycle, in addition to 271 of other networks, with more than 2800 analysis for the period from 1972 to 2005.
