Por Redaccion 
The measure will allow the reuse of purified water in up to 87% of the city’s gardens with the extension of this network and save the equivalent of 70 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
Alicante, March 12, 2025. The Alicante City Council and the mixed company Aguas de Alicante will expand the reclaimed water network to irrigate new green areas and continue with policies to save the use of drinking water in the urban environment. The goal is to extend the pipelines to emblematic spaces in the city such as Parque Juan Pablo II (PAU 1) and the landscaped areas of APD 4 in the Rabasa neighborhood, Bulevar del Pla, Avenida de Dénia, and La Explanada.
The reclaimed water for irrigation comes from the two treatment plants that serve the city, Rincón de León and Orgegia, for which extension works of the reclaimed water network are being carried out.
With these actions, 87% of the green areas in Alicante will have access to irrigation with reclaimed water, with a significant impact estimated at an annual saving of 175,000 m3/year of drinking water, equivalent to the volume of 70 Olympic-sized swimming pools. This initiative represents a significant step in the sustainable management of the city’s water resources, in the context of Climate Change and its impact on Alicante.
The Deputy Mayor and Councilor for the Environment, Manuel Villar, explained that «we will continue working on the development of structural measures that allow us to reduce the consumption of drinking water by expanding the reclaimed water network for garden irrigation, which in Alicante already exceeds 80% of all the city’s green areas.»
In the last meeting held between the council and Aguas de Alicante for the supervision and planning of water resources, Aguas de Alicante decided to implement a series of measures to expand the reclaimed water network for irrigation of green areas, with the aim of saving around 175,000 cubic meters annually.
Currently, 80% of the city’s green areas have access to the reclaimed water network, a percentage that will increase to 87% with the extension to the designated points. This water also allows for the filling of ponds and lakes in parks such as El Palmeral or La Marjal, as well as for street cleaning, among other urban and environmental uses.
Villar highlighted that «according to the data provided by Aguas de Alicante, the consumption of reclaimed water in green areas for various purposes reached 843,500 m3, which represents the same saving in drinking water.»
The treatment plants supply 8.3 million m3 per year
According to data published by Aguas de Alicante, the city’s treatment plants supply 8,290,000 m³ of reclaimed water annually for agricultural irrigation. They also allow for the saving of over 1,130,000 m³ of drinking water, which has been replaced by reclaimed water for urban uses: 725,000 m³ annually, plus another 375,000 m³ for recreational use, 21,000 m³ for street cleaning, and another 7,000 m³ for environmental use.
Furthermore, as stated by Sergio Sánchez, General Director of Aguas de Alicante, «the company is working on the digitization and improvement of the urban network of reclaimed water through projects included in its Comprehensive Digitization Plan, with European funding within the II Water Pert, such as the development of the mathematical model of the Urban Network of Reclaimed Water, the implementation of sensors for intelligent irrigation of green areas, and the control platform, among other actions within the ‘Alicante Circular Water’ project for the reuse of treated water.»
These improvements will allow for a more efficient use of water in agriculture and the maintenance of green areas, promoting a better reuse of this valuable resource. Together, these measures aim to optimize the integral water cycle and promote a more sustainable management of this essential resource.