The Llobregat Delta Water Users’ Community has designed recharge basins in Molins de Rei to recharge the Baix Llobregat aquifer.

View of one of the reloading basins during the test phase

The Llobregat Delta Water Users’ Community is one of the nine partners in the Aquifer project approved under the fourth INTERREG SUDOE call for proposals.

This Community, within the framework of this project, has designed recharge basins in Molins de Rei for the recharge of the Baix Llobregat aquifer and therefore, during the year 202, has drawn up a construction project, has applied for the relevant permits for the authorisation of the works in the public hydraulic domain (Catalan Water Agency), the works permit began in May and was completed in December.
In November, taking advantage of some rainfall and a flood in the river, a recharge test was carried out to obtain data and it was concluded that the intake level of the catchment had to be lowered by 30 cm to increase the number of operating days.

This lowering implies going from operating 20% of the time (only for river floods) to 70% of the time (medium to high floods and flows).
Lowering the height even further to achieve a longer operating time does not make sense for low river flows because of the need to respect the maintenance flow of the river.
A small modification to the project has therefore been drafted for them in order to achieve this new lowering of the head. Authorisation for this modification is currently awaited from the Catalan Water Agency.

On 4 November, a visit to the recharge basins was carried out by all the partners of the AQUIFER project in order to present the work and its progress. The comments of the partners provided ideas and suggestions for the improvement of the operation.