Alfredo Pérez, physicist and expert in underground hydrology
«Water management should be addressed as a national challenge, promoting collaboration and trust between the scientific world, institutions and managers»
Alfredo Pérez is a physicist by training and has a doctorate in hydrogeology, specialising in backfilling in managed aquifer recharge facilities.
With more than twenty years of experience in the water sector, Alfredo Pérez has been a member of the Catalan Water Agency (ACA) since it was first founded, and is currently responsible for the Technical Unit of the Concessions Department in the Water Supply Area, working towards the sustainable management of water resources in Catalonia.
What is the current state of aquifers in Catalonia?
In the river basin district of Catalonia, where the ACA has full powers, the general trend is not a positive one. In each of the three six-yearly planning reviews carried out, an increase has been observed in the number of groundwater bodies with poor quantitative status. Furthermore, many of these bodies have an excess of nitrates, a problem that is compounded by salinisation due to marine intrusion and the presence of emerging pollutants.
What regulations are there for aquifer recharge?
For years, regulations on aquifer re charge have been rather unfavourable. However, the recent update of the State Public Water Domain Regulation no longer considers such actions to be discharges. And the new state reuse regulation establishes that the artificial recharge of aquifers with reclaimed water is not considered a use, but an environmental destination.
What are the main challenges in implementing water reuse projects for aquifer recharge?
The main challenge is the control of discharges, since sewage treatment plants are not facilities designed to eliminate salinity or pharmaceutical compounds, pesticides or industrial chemicals. We also have to implement regeneration systems that improve water quality, combining technological systems with nature-based solutions.
Which aquifer recharge projects are relevant?
Catalonia is in the vanguard when it comes to water, and aquifer re charge is no exception. For example, Aigües de Barcelona implemented the second “dual well” injection and extraction system anywhere in the world in the late 1960s, in the Baix Llobregat.
We should also mention the DEMOWARE project: infiltration of regenerated water into ponds in Port de la Selva; the DESSIN project: change of origin of the water injected into one of the old dual wells of Aigües de Barcelona in Baix Llobregat; the reuse of regenerated water from Prat de Llobregat in the ACA ponds in Sant Vicenç dels Horts, and the initiative of the Baix Camp Regional Council and CO MAIGUA with treated water from the Cambrils WWTP to test the effectiveness of reactive barriers in eliminating pollutants.
What role should public outreach be playing?
Outreach must begin in primary schools. It is vital that new generations value the luxury of having water on tap or light at the touch of a switch, and that they think about what would happen if this were no longer so straightforward.
What role do academic institutions and research play in developing effective water management policies?
We need more involvement of experts and a better connection with public authorities. Water management should be addressed as a national challenge, promoting collaboration and trust between the scientific world, institutions and managers.
«Catalonia is in the vanguard when it comes to water, and aquifer recharge is no exception»
