Valls will turn treated water into irrigation: a 7,200 m³ per day plant
Valls will be able to allocate 7,200 cubic meters of reclaimed water each day to local irrigation. The future ACA station will treat the water from the treatment plant and adapt it to European requirements for agricultural irrigation.
The facility starts from a fact that can be understood without any spreadsheet: it will have the capacity to use all the current production of Valls’ WWTP. And, to reduce part of the energy bill, it will include 88 solar panels. The water does not disappear; it changes course.
What will change for the Valls Irrigation Systems?
Why is this plant relevant for the Irrigators?
For the irrigation systems of Valls, the main change is having a new water source prepared for agricultural use. The ACA will make the reclaimed water available to the General Community of Irrigators of Valls, who will be able to use it once the planned treatment process is completed.
The future water reclamation station, known as ERA, will receive water coming from the Valls WWTP. Its purpose is not to produce new water, but to adapt the water that has already passed through the treatment plant so that it meets the quality requirements established by European regulations for agricultural irrigation.
This nuance is the core of the news. The treatment plant already generates the resource; the new plant will add the necessary treatment so it can have a specific use in the fields of the capital of Alt Camp. No magic: treat, prepare, and reuse.
How much water will it be able to treat?
The design flow will be 7,200 cubic meters per day. This figure is equivalent to the total current production of the Valls WWTP, so the plant’s capacity has been defined based on the volume already generated by the treatment plant.
| Data | figure |
|---|---|
| Design capacity | 7,200 m³ per day |
| Contract budget | 2.84 million euros |
| Destination | Valls irrigation systems |
| Expected user | General Community of Irrigators of Valls |
For the reader in Valls, this translates into an action with a very defined destination: the treated water does not remain in a facility without an explained use, but is prepared to reach the local irrigations. The announced capacity also allows understanding the scope of the project: this is not a small test, but a plant sized for the entire current production of the WWTP.
How will the facility operate and what will it cost?
What budget has the ACA tendered?
The Catalan Water Agency has tendered the works for the new station with a budget of 2.84 million euros. The available information fixes this amount as the contract budget for the works, but does not specify when the works will begin or when the facility will enter service.
This distinction prevents confusion between three different moments: tender, construction, and operation. Currently, the communicated fact is that ACA has put the works out to tender and that the project already has a defined treatment capacity.
- The water will arrive from the Valls WWTP.
- The ERA will adapt it to the European requirements for agricultural irrigation.
- The reclaimed water will be made available to the General Community of Irrigators of Valls.
Therefore, the figure of 2.84 million euros should be read alongside the planned capacity. The project associates a specific investment with a daily volume also specific: 7,200 cubic meters of reclaimed water.
What will the 88 solar panels contribute?
The plant will include a photovoltaic solar field made up of 88 panels. The installed power will be 51.9 kWp and the expected production will exceed 62,000 kWh annually.
This energy will cover about 22% of the plant’s operational energy needs. The facility, therefore, does not only include water treatment: it also plans to generate part of the electricity it will require to operate.
| Energy element | Expected data |
|---|---|
| Photovoltaic panels | 88 |
| Installed power | 51.9 kWp |
| Annual production | More than 62,000 kWh |
| Coverage of plant needs | About 22% |
The proportion is easy to place: the panels will not cover all of the ERA’s energy, but will cover a part approximately equivalent to one fifth of the consumption needed for operation. In an infrastructure dedicated to preparing water for irrigation, this is a complement incorporated into the same project, not a separate action.
The reality is that Valls will have a facility designed to give a second use to the water from its treatment plant. With a capacity of 7,200 cubic meters per day, an investment of 2.84 million euros, and a solar contribution planned at 22%, the project puts numbers to a very particular idea: treat the water, return it to the irrigations, and do so with part of the energy produced on site. For irrigators, the decisive point will be having this prepared resource; for Valls, the change will be turning an output from the treatment plant into a new input for the territory.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What will the ACA build in Valls?
- ACA will build a water reclamation station, or ERA, to treat the water from the Valls WWTP and allocate it to the irrigation systems of the capital of Alt Camp.
- What capacity will the reclaimed water plant have?
- The facility will have a design flow of 7,200 cubic meters of reclaimed water per day, equivalent to the entire current production of the Valls WWTP.
- How many solar panels will the facility have?
- The solar field will consist of 88 panels, with an installed power of 51.9 kWp and a projected annual production of more than 62,000 kWh.
- What part of the energy will the panels cover?
- The photovoltaic production will cover about 22% of the energy needed for the facility’s operation.
Source of the article: Editorial / Catalan News Agency
