Las Provincias round table at Efiaqua

Efiaqua, the international trade show for efficient water management, held a round table yesterday, organised by LAS PROVINCIAS in collaboration with Hidraqua, at which progress on the project that will change the way we look after the environment and prevent forest fires, was presented. Project Guardian, which benefits from a 5.5 million euro grant from the European Union, will improve the preparation and resilience of Turia Natural Park and the wooded area of La Vallesa to forest fires.

This will be achieved through the re-use of residual water from the Camp de Túria II water treatment plant. It is calculated that this initiative will protect the nearly 3,300 residents of the Els Pous, Valencia la Vella and Masía de Traver residential estates, as well as preserving one of the city of Valencia’s green lungs.

«Europe has bought the enthusiasm and hope for achieving the objectives»

Francesc Hernández. Professor at Valencia University

Circularity, resilience and adaptation to climate change are the three pillars of this innovative project led by Riba-roja de Túria Town Hall, Paterna Town Hall, Hidraqua, Medi XXI, Valencia University, the Polytechnic University of Valencia and Cetaqua, also having the collaboration of Turia Natural Park (Generalitat Valenciana, the Regional Government of Valencia).

To explain Guardian, the round table was attended by managers from the main actors, who, one by one, explained their roles in ensuring that the project, which is already under way and which will be completed in 2021, is concluded successfully.

Project Guardian

It started with the exhibition by Riba-roja del Túria Town Hall expert and project manager for project Guardian, Vicente Adobes, who explained that «we are going to undertake an analysis phase of the climatic conditions, the flora, etc. to understand what actions we need to implement to improve the qualities and the quality of the flora. Plant management work will be undertaken to reduce forest mass, and we will even replace species that are not suitable. We will also create green firebreaks, areas that are capable of reducing the speed of the fire …». The expert also indicated that the La Vallesa wet zone will be refurbished, improving the quality of that water, which will come from the Camp De Túria II residual water treatment plant. An additional compact water treatment plant will be installed to improve the volume of discharge we are going to use. We will also have a hydraulic installation for prescriptive irrigation. Even in situations of fire risk, drought, wind or high temperatures, we will be able to raise humidity to make it more difficult for it to catch fire and, if this happens, it can be controlled so that human resources and materials can be allocated to other areas».

«We will provide the information required for this to be efficient»

Antonio del campo. Professor Hydraulic Engineering PUV

For his part, Juan Antonio Sagredo, the mayor of Paterna, highlighted the importance of the fact that seven parties, both public and private, have reached an agreement to take the project forward and that this should be the formula for creating success stories in today’s society. «The fact is that these measures do not start with Guardian, we have been implementing measures for some time. This year, we are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the La Vallesa fire and we have been working hard since then».

Sagredo indicated that «the most important thing is believing in it, that it should go beyond the colour of the government that may be in power and become part of the DNA. I would like to highlight three things about the project. The refurbishment of the La Vallesa lagoon, the importance of educating local residents so that they have plants at home that repel fire, education so that children are sufficiently aware and, crucially, the valuable prior research that will be undertaken. Taking measures is important but it is more important that there is a strategic plan based on this prior research».

«When our technology fulfils its function, it creates great satisfaction»

Ferran Dalmau. CEO of Medi XXI

As Robert Raga, mayor of Riba-roja del Túria, explained, the initiative started with a project that had been left in a drawer and which, with everyone’s work, has become one of the most important projects in Europe in the fight against fires. «This is a project that affects the security of local residents and fights against climate change. I thank our other fellow travellers who share this passion and have welcomed it so well and so quickly».

With respect to the use of water from the Camp De Túria II residual water treatment plant, Jordi Azorín, territorial director of Hidraqua, explained that one of the main problems is that no-one wanted treated water, since «this specific environment is close to the urban nucleus and near the river, which is why this project fulfils all the factors to provide an outlet for this water. We realised that it had a problem with microcontaminants but, thanks to this pilot plant, this has been resolved and everything is now in place for the project».

«We propose a re-use train to eliminate contaminants»

Mario ruiz. Product manager at Cetaqua

With regard to what Azorín was saying, Mario Ruiz, project manager in the hydrological resources, production and regeneration department at Cetaqua, explained, «With Guardian, what we propose is a re-use train and treatment to eliminate micro-organic contaminants, advanced water regeneration to re-use it. This involves an innovative solution, we were already re-using the water for agricultural, industrial and urban uses, etc., but it is now for the fight against fires and to refurbish the La Vallesa reservoir. We are going to work on the plant for two years and the idea is for us to be capable of eliminating the compounds, but it is a comprehensive solution that eliminates pharmaceutical micro-organisms, personal care residues… and should be modular so that it keeps operating when the project ends and can be scaled up and transferred to other places».

«This should be the formula for creating success stories in today’s society»

Juan antonio Sagredo. Mayor of Paterna

When the technology implemented fulfils its function and protects both people and the environment, it manages to create a feeling of satisfaction, commented Ferran Dalmau, CEO of Medi XXI, who pointed out that «when your mother, who lives in an interface area, tells you that her first option after a fire being declared is to phone you, you realise that people that live in these areas seriously lack training and information. People are not aware that, along with the property, the risk with regard to fires, floods and natural disasters, is also acquired». Dalmau pointed out that a negligible percentage of the water we consume comes from existing resources since these are not accessible, but that «the water we drink is sourced from our forests which is why it is very important that we take care of it. If we destroy the resources, I am not very sure about what kind of planet we will be leaving to our children».

«We finally found an outlet for the residual water from this water treatment plant»

Jordi Azorín. Territorial Director at Hidraqua

As well as institutions and private companies, the university also plays a key role in the project. In order to contribute his knowledge and the scientific basis, Antonio del Campo, professor from the Hydraulic Engineering and Environment department at PUV, explained his part in the project. «In our department, we study water in the widest sense, which is why we tackle the subject of forestry hydrology in which irrigation is designed hydraulically, which will provide the information necessary for it be efficient. Based on characterising the needs of the plants, the atmosphere, the soil… We are going to add eco-hydrology to knowledge about fire, to study how to hydrate the vegetation so that it slows down the speed of the fire, the height of the flames, their intensity… Furthermore, we will contribute to the design of green firebreak areas and preventive forestry work will be designed agronomically with many distinctive features».

«An analysis phase of climatic conditions, the flora… will be undertaken»

Vicente Adobes. Riba-roja Town Hall Expert

Also underpinning the project will be the financial reality, which is why Francesc Hernández, professor at Valencia University, and his team have a fundamental task. This department, which is dedicated to the water economy, must analyse the financial aspects.

«Europe has bought the enthusiasm and hope for this project, but also the way to achieve the objectives. It is not symbolic but everything that surrounds it is viable and feasible, the responsibility therefore is to demonstrate that there are costs, although the many positive impacts generated for society, the wellbeing of the population, and the reduction of risk, are profitable. We must quantify the positive impacts, assign them their proper value, even express this in euros, demonstrating its viability. The project is ambitious in the methodologies and techniques applied, it is innovative and provocative, as we are also going to calculate the costs of inaction, demonstrating that acting is more profitable than not doing so».

«It affects the security of local residents and climate change»

Robert Raga. Mayor of Riba-roja

Everyone involved in project Guardian pointed out the success of the same as this is an ambitious, pioneering project that enjoys the trust of Europe. They also indicated that its success not only lies in the fight against forest fires, protecting the environment and society but that it is exportable and scalable to other places in Europe that are in the same situation as the area of Turia Natural Park and the wooded area of La Vallesa.

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