Technology serving to preserve the world's largest source of freshwater: our aquifers

By pointing out that "groundwater may be invisible, yet its impact is visible everywhere”, the UN is spotlighting aquifers in its message for World Water Day on 22 March. UNESCO currently estimates that groundwater accounts for approximately 99% of all liquid freshwater on Earth and half of all water drawn for domestic use. Groundwater is particularly crucial for rural areas, where more than 90% of the population is not served by water supply systems.

Groundwater is vital for well-functioning ecosystems, and therefore there is an urgent need to protect groundwater from overexploitation. To survive climate change and meet the needs of an ever-growing population, groundwater must be used sustainably. In this regard, Aqualia has spent many years on developing and implementing technologies that optimise the performance of water distribution networks and, consequently, favour the recovery of aquifers, through solutions that guarantee efficient, safe, and environmentally friendly water supply and treatment.

Eco-efficiency in the end-to-end water cycle

End-to-end water cycle activities are integrated into the natural environment, making environmental care an intrinsic part of the daily running of these services, and entailing responsible actions aimed specifically at protecting and restoring ecosystems. Aqualia is successfully implementing measures geared towards optimising facility management and water resource usage. These measures have significantly reduced the amount of water drawn from aquifers.

The company invests in technology and innovation with a view to attaining efficient water management and provides administrations and citizens with smart solutions that lead to greater control and more sustainable consumption. With proprietary monitoring and metering software, integrated into the Aqualia LIVE modular integrated management platform, the company has already boosted the efficiency of the water distribution networks it manages globally by two points. By digitalising these processes, Aqualia can work alongside public administrations to solve issues concerning leaks in water distribution networks, in line with European Directive 2020/2184 on water intended for human consumption.

Some tangible examples of this include measures adopted in the Balearic Islands, which are yielding very positive results in terms of the availability of water supply and the islands' ecosystems. Last year, unregistered water in Santa Eulària (Ibiza) decreased by 20% compared to the previous year, resulting in a saving of 300,000 cubic metres (m3), the equivalent of 120 Olympic-size swimming pools or 30,000 water tankers. Desalinated water use also meant a reduction in the extraction of 1.3 million m3 of water from aquifers, in line with Aqualia's firm environmental commitment to the gradual regeneration of the aquifers. 

Development works at the Mar de Alborán desalination plant in Almeria, in collaboration with Almeria's irrigators, will help aquifers recover by using water from the new desalination plant that Aqualia is building. The project contemplates a renewable energy plant to power the facility, thus making it more sustainable and thereby preserving the environment where the desalination plant is located, the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park. The Andalusian Regional Government included the Mar de Alborán desalination plant in the 2021-2027 Hydrological Plan as a source of water supply for the area in 2021. This means that the annual supply of 20 cubic hectometres per year from the desalination plant will enable a more rational management of well water, thereby facilitating local groundwater recovery. 

Aqualia is also carrying out the MARadentro project in Medina del Campo (Valladolid), building a 400 m2 infiltration system for advanced purified water treatment and reuse in recharging aquifers. While recharge management has been in use for decades, aspects related to the purification mechanisms and the microbiology involved in the process are not sufficiently understood. Aqualia aims to harness this project to reduce pressure on water resources by developing innovative techniques and operational guidelines for better management of water reuse through low-cost treatment. The design and operation tool also aims to prevent the occurrence of pathogens, nutrients and organic pollutants in the water intended for reuse.

End-to-end water cycle management remains one of the key success factors on the road to sustainable development. The United Nations declared the period 2018–2028 to be the International Decade for Action on Water for Sustainable Development. Society thus has a framework for action to fast-track SDG 6 "Clean Water and Sanitation" and its respective targets, pooling efforts to address water-related challenges and thus the rest of the goals of the 2030 Agenda.

The company has recently presented its 2023 Strategic Plan, which integrates sustainability as a cross-cutting dimension. The company thus addresses its commitment through measurable and quantifiable objectives of its contributions to the 2030 Agenda. Climate emergency and environmental care are among the strategic lines defined in the Plan. 

As the first company in the sector to be AENOR-certified in the achievement of the SDGs, Aqualia's primary raison d'être consists in safeguarding water as an essential resource for progress and the development of societies. By integrating these Goals at the heart of its business strategy, the company collaborates in generating solutions, measures and concrete actions geared towards achieving the 2030 Agenda for a better planet, leaving no one behind.