The last rains recover the water reserves of the Marina Baixa

The water reserves of the Marina Baixa have increased after the last episodes of rain and based on the parameters of the Drought Plan, the region has reached a "state of normality". This follows from the report on the water situation in the Marina Baixa System included in the agenda of the extraordinary session of the General Meeting of the Marina Baja Water Consortium held yesterday afternoon at the Provincial Council of Alicante. A Table that has been chaired by the president of the provincial institution, Carlos Mazón, and which has been attended by the mayor of Benidorm, Toni Pérez, and the mayor of the Treasury, Aida García Mayor.

According to the report, in the two episodes of rain recorded in March - the first from 4 to 9, and the second between 17 and 28 - the rainfall in the Marina Baixa has ranged between 136 litres per square meter in the Amadorio swap and 759.6 from Tárbena.

In turn, the values ​​registered in El Algar stand out, with 718.7 litres per square meter between both episodes, the second being especially important, in which 629.1 litres per square meter were reached. Thus, so far this year this point accumulates a total rainfall of 730.50 litres per square meter, 132.82% compared to a normal year of -550 litres per square meter.

As for the reservoir's reserves, the Guadalest reservoir reached its maximum capacity over the weekend, which caused the floodgates to open, discharging 5 cubic meters per second since last Monday. Likewise, it is at 70.37% of its capacity and "it is expected that in a few days it can reach maximum storage."

Finally, the region's aquifers are recovered "practically 100%".

The mayor of Benidorm has recalled that "before these unexpected and intense episodes of rain, the region was in a pre-alert situation due to drought", so "the recovery of reserves is tremendous news since it allows us to face guarantees the year to a region always attentive to its water resources and that needs without delay investments by higher administrations to be even more efficient in management”.

Toni Pérez has stressed that "these rains are going to give an economic break to the municipalities of the Consortium, at a time when the rise in the price of energy is forcing the body, and therefore the City Councils that are part of it, to assume millionaire extra costs”. In fact, "only in 2021 the rise in the price of electricity has meant a disbursement in the bill of 1.5 million euros more than expected, which undoubtedly represents a significant setback and has forced the Consortium to make a modification budget to address this extra cost in electrical energy that, unless effective measures are taken from the Central Government, threatens to repeat itself in this 2022 ".

The report of the technical director of the Consortium also alludes to other consequences, in this case, negative, because of the heavy rains, such as the "drags" to the swamps, which have resulted in "turbidity problems" in some localities of the region, getting rid of this situation “municipalities that have filter plants”.

Among the municipalities that "have not had any problem with turbidity in the quality of the supply is Benidorm", as highlighted by the mayor, who has stressed that "the Benidorm water treatment plant works with a hydraulic efficiency greater than 99 per cent". Toni Pérez has assured that "the continuous improvement and constant investments by the City Council and the water concession company, in addition to setting the tone for management, have made it possible for long periods of rains and the consequent dragging of land do not affect the sanitary conditions and the quality of Benidorm's water”.

"For this reason -he stressed- we will continue to commit to modernization and to improving the performance of our water infrastructures, which are key in any location but even more so in a leading and leading tourist destination such as ours".

Apart from the turbidity problems in some localities, the Consortium report points out that the intense rains and "the large volumes of water that are flowing through the rivers and ravines" of the Marina Baixa make it "predict that certain damages have occurred". Based on the experience of previous episodes, elements such as breakwaters, river crossings, gabions or pipeline maintenance platforms could have been damaged; damage to be verified as soon as possible.

In the same session of the Water Consortium, among other matters, the renewal of the agreements with the different Irrigation Communities of the region has been made feasible; a budget modification has been approved to meet different expenses –among them, the increase in the electricity bill-; and the settlement of the 2021 budget has been reported.