About the catchment area
The lower part of the Llobregat River (ca. 120 km²) is a catchment located near Barcelona which includes numerous wells for abstraction of groundwater and two important surface water collection points for drinking water production.
The waterworks situated in San Joan Despí supplies drinking water to approximately half of the population of the Barcelona’s metropolitan area.
It uses water from the Llobregat River on regular basis mixed with groundwater from the lower valley and Llobregat delta aquifers when the quality or quantity of the river water is low. The hydraulic regime of the river is of the Mediterranean type with low flows during normal conditions (around 5 m3/s) and peak events of either absolute dryness or flooding (up to 2000 m3/s).
The catchment is extensively monitored and has been object of research in numerous national and international projects:
- LIFE ENSAT Project 2011-2013)
- DESSIN project: Demonstrate Ecosystem Services enabling Innovation in the water sector
The actionlab isis therefore considered as a good location for characterisation from multiple points of view, including hydrogeology, socioeconomics and water quality.
