News
Barcelona trials direct potable reuse as a response to drought
Barcelona and its metropolitan area are becoming a European testing ground in the face of water scarcity.
The Eurecat technology centre has launched DECIDEIX, a pioneering project that will assess the feasibility of Direct Potable Reuse (RPD): transforming treated water into water fit for human consumption through advanced treatment, without passing through rivers or aquifers.
The pilot will be deployed at the Gavà wastewater treatment plant and will validate the safety and effectiveness of this system, already regulated in places such as California, Singapore and Australia but still without regulation in the European Union. The initiative is backed by the Catalan Water Agency and involves Aigües de Barcelona, Cetaqua, UPC, ICRA and the Catalan Water Partnership.
The project continues the 2018 SUGGEREIX experience, which introduced Indirect Potable Reuse. During the latest drought episode, this system made it possible to return reclaimed water to the Llobregat River before it was made drinkable in Sant Joan Despí, becoming a key resource for guaranteeing supply.
With a duration of 31 months, DECIDEIX aims to lay the scientific and methodological foundations for future RPD regulation and strengthen water resilience in a territory that could face a deficit of 130 cubic hectometres in 2027 if urgent action is not taken.